The preterite of mantenerse is used to express that someone maintained themselves in a particular state or condition for a specific period in the past, for example Me mantuve en silencio durante toda la reunión (I kept quiet throughout the meeting). This reflexive verb emphasizes the completed action of maintaining oneself.

This is an irregular verb that follows the same pattern as ‘tener’ in the preterite, with the addition of reflexive pronouns. Remember to match the reflexive pronoun with the subject of the verb.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Mantenerse (to maintain oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of mantenerse indicates a completed action of maintaining oneself or staying in a certain state in the past.

To stay/remain: Describes maintaining a position or state, for example Se mantuvo firme en su decisión (He/she remained firm in their decision) or Me mantuve en silencio (I remained silent).

To keep oneself: Used for maintaining a condition, for example Se mantuvo en forma durante años (He/she kept in shape for years).

Examples

Examples of Mantenerse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Me mantuve tranquilo durante la crisis. (I kept myself calm during the crisis.)

Te mantuviste firme en tu decisión. (You stood firm in your decision.)

El atleta se mantuvo en forma todo el año. (The athlete kept himself in shape all year.)

Nos mantuvimos unidos en los momentos difíciles. (We stayed united in difficult times.)

Los estudiantes se mantuvieron concentrados durante el examen. (The students kept themselves focused during the exam.)

Me mantuve alejado del conflicto. (I kept myself away from the conflict.)

Te mantuviste optimista a pesar de todo. (You stayed optimistic despite everything.)

La empresa se mantuvo estable durante la crisis. (The company remained stable during the crisis.)

Nos mantuvimos en contacto después de graduarnos. (We kept in touch after graduating.)

Los precios se mantuvieron bajos todo el mes. (The prices stayed low all month.)

Me mantuve fiel a mis principios. (I remained true to my principles.)

Te mantuviste fuerte ante la adversidad. (You stayed strong in the face of adversity.)

El equipo se mantuvo invicto toda la temporada. (The team remained undefeated all season.)

Nos mantuvimos alerta durante la noche. (We stayed alert during the night.)

Los voluntarios se mantuvieron activos en la comunidad. (The volunteers stayed active in the community.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Mantenerse (to maintain oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.