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Conjugation Chart

“Mantenerse” (to stay, remain) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Mantenerse”

The Imperfect Tense of mantenerse is used to describe ongoing or habitual states of maintaining oneself in the past, for example, Se mantenía en forma haciendo ejercicio todos los días (She used to keep herself in shape by exercising every day).

Mantenerse is a reflexive verb based on mantener, which is an irregular verb following the pattern of tener. While it keeps its irregularity in other tenses, in the Imperfect tense it follows a regular pattern.

How to Use Mantenerse in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of mantenerse is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

To keep or maintain something: For example, Me mantenía en forma haciendo ejercicio todos los días. (I kept myself in shape by exercising every day.)

To support or sustain: For example, Mis padres se mantenían trabajando duro. (My parents sustained themselves by working hard.)

To persist or continue: For example, La lluvia se mantenía durante días. (The rain kept going for days.)

To remain or stay (in a place or condition): For example, Me mantenía alejado de los problemas. (I stayed away from trouble.)

To hold on or endure: For example, Se mantenía firme ante las adversidades. (She held firm in the face of adversity.)

To keep up or maintain a pace: For example, No me podía mantener con el ritmo de la clase. (I couldn’t keep up with the pace of the class.)

To preserve or conserve: For example, Manteníamos las tradiciones familiares. (We preserved family traditions.)

Real Life Examples of Mantenerse in the Imperfect Tense

Yo me mantenía en forma haciendo ejercicio regularmente. (I kept myself in shape by exercising regularly.)

Ella se mantenía al tanto de las noticias leyendo el periódico todas las mañanas. (She kept up with the news by reading the newspaper every morning.)

Nosotros nos manteníamos ocupados con nuestros proyectos personales durante el fin de semana. (We kept ourselves busy with our personal projects over the weekend.)

Ellos se mantenían alejados de los problemas evitando las situaciones conflictivas. (They kept themselves away from trouble by avoiding confrontational situations.)

Tú te mantenías caliente con una chaqueta gruesa durante el invierno. (You kept yourself warm with a thick jacket during the winter.)

Ella se mantenía en la línea, como dicen, para no perder su figura esbelta. (She kept herself in line, as they say, to maintain her slender figure.)

Nosotros nos manteníamos al día con las últimas tendencias en tecnología leyendo blogs especializados. (We kept up-to-date with the latest technology trends by reading specialized blogs.)

Ellos se mantenían firmes en sus creencias a pesar de las críticas de los demás. (They kept firm in their beliefs despite criticism from others.)

Tú te mantenías en contacto con tus amigos a través de las redes sociales. (You kept in touch with your friends through social media.)

Yo me mantenía motivado estableciendo metas realistas y alcanzables. (I kept myself motivated by setting realistic and achievable goals.)

Ella se mantenía al margen de los chismes y rumores en la oficina. (She kept herself out of the office gossip and rumors.)

Nosotros nos manteníamos informados sobre los eventos culturales locales leyendo revistas y folletos. (We kept ourselves informed about local cultural events by reading magazines and brochures.)

Ellos se mantenían en la jugada, como se dice, para no perder oportunidades laborales. (They kept themselves in the game, as they say, to not miss out on job opportunities.)

Tú te mantenías despierto estudiando hasta tarde para el examen final. (You kept yourself awake studying late for the final exam.)

Yo me mantenía concentrado en mis tareas ignorando las distracciones a mi alrededor. (I kept myself focused on my tasks by ignoring distractions around me.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Mantenerse (to stay, remain) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.