mantener

Asturian

Etymology

From Late Latin manūteneō, manūtenēre (“I support”), from Latin manū (“with the hand”) + teneō (“I hold”).

Verb

mantener

1. to maintain; to keep

Ladino

Etymology

From Late Latin manūteneō, manūtenēre (“I support”), from Latin manū (“with the hand”) + teneō (“I hold”).

Verb

mantener (Latin spelling)

1. to maintain, preserve

Spanish

Alternative forms

• manutener

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin manūtenēre (“to support”), from Latin manū (“with the hand”) + teneō (“to hold”). Equivalent to mano + tener. Compare Galician and Portuguese manter, French maintenir, Italian mantenere.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /manteˈneɾ/
• Rhymes: -eɾ
• Syllabification: man‧te‧ner

Verb

mantener (first-person singular present mantengo, first-person singular preterite mantuve, past participle mantenido)

1. (transitive) to keep

   Mantenga la tapa cerrada, por favor.

   Keep the lid closed, please.

2. (transitive) to maintain, to support

   Yo mantengo a mis hijos.

   I support my children.

3. (transitive) to sustain, to preserve, to retain, to uphold
4. (transitive) to maintain, continue, to keep up

   Mantengan el buen trabajo.

   Keep up the good work.

5. (transitive) to stay, to remain
6. (reflexive) to maintain, to keep, to stay, to remain

   Me voy a mantener despierto toda la noche estudiando la gramática española.

   I'm going to stay awake all night studying Spanish grammar.

7. (reflexive) to stand, to hold, to remain, to continue (e.g. hold firm, stand strong, stand together, stand on one's feet)

   Debemos mantenernos firmes exigiendo libertad.

   We must stand firm in demanding freedom.

8. (reflexive) to stick to (e.g. stick to one's guns)
9. (reflexive) to be maintained, to be retained, to be sustained

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• “mantener”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014