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Conjugation Chart of “Mantener” (to maintain) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Mantener”

The preterite of mantener is used to express a specific instance of maintaining or keeping something in the past, for example Mantuve la calma durante la crisis (I maintained my composure during the crisis). This tense emphasizes the completed action of maintaining at a particular moment.

This is an irregular verb that follows the same pattern as ‘tener’ in the preterite, changing to ‘mantuv-‘ in all forms.

How to Use Mantener in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of mantener describes a completed action of maintaining or keeping in the past.

To maintain/keep: Describes preserving a state or condition, for example Mantuve la calma durante la crisis (I kept calm during the crisis) or Mantuvo su promesa (He/she kept their promise).

To support/provide for: Used for supporting or sustaining, for example Mantuvo a su familia durante años (He/she supported their family for years).

Real Life Examples of Mantener in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Mantuve la calma durante la emergencia. (I maintained calm during the emergency.)

Mantuviste tu promesa hasta el final. (You kept your promise until the end.)

El doctor mantuvo al paciente estable. (The doctor kept the patient stable.)

Mantuvimos el secreto por años. (We kept the secret for years.)

Los empleados mantuvieron el orden en la tienda. (The employees maintained order in the store.)

Mantuve mi posición en el debate. (I maintained my position in the debate.)

Mantuviste el ritmo durante toda la carrera. (You maintained the pace throughout the race.)

La empresa mantuvo sus precios bajos. (The company maintained its low prices.)

Mantuvimos contacto después de graduarnos. (We maintained contact after graduating.)

Los científicos mantuvieron el experimento en curso. (The scientists kept the experiment running.)

Mantuve mi trabajo durante la crisis. (I kept my job during the crisis.)

Mantuviste la distancia social necesaria. (You maintained the necessary social distance.)

El equipo mantuvo su ventaja hasta el final. (The team maintained their lead until the end.)

Mantuvimos la tradición familiar. (We maintained the family tradition.)

Los maestros mantuvieron el interés de los estudiantes. (The teachers maintained the students’ interest.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Mantener (to maintain) in the Preterite (Past) 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.