mantén

man-TENmanˈten

“mantén” means “keep” in Spanish (to continue to have or hold).

keep, maintainAlso: hold, preserve

Verb (Command Form)B1irregular erinformal

A close-up view of a hand tightly gripping the string of a vibrant red balloon, preventing it from floating away.

infinitivemantener

gerundmanteniendo

past Participlemantenido

📝 In Action

Mantén la puerta cerrada, por favor.

Keep the door closed, please.

Si quieres un buen trabajo, mantén tus habilidades al día.

If you want a good job, maintain your skills up to date.

¡Mantén la calma! Solo es una pequeña araña.

Keep calm! It's only a small spider.

Word Connections

Synonyms

conserva (preserve/save (command))
guarda (keep/save (command))

Antonyms

suelta (let go (command))
abandona (abandon (command))

Common Collocations

Mantén el equilibrio – Keep your balance
Mantén la distancia – Keep the distance

Indicative

Present

yomantengo

túmantienes

él/ella/ustedmantiene

nosotrosmantenemos

vosotrosmantenéis

ellos/ellas/ustedesmantienen

Imperfect

yomantenía

túmantenías

él/ella/ustedmantenía

nosotrosmanteníamos

vosotrosmantenías

ellos/ellas/ustedesmantenían

Preterite

yomantuve

túmantuviste

él/ella/ustedmantuvo

nosotrosmantuvimos

vosotrosmantuvisteis

ellos/ellas/ustedesmantuvieron

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yomantenga

túmantengas

él/ella/ustedmantenga

nosotrosmantengamos

vosotrosmantengáis

ellos/ellas/ustedesmantengan

Imperfect Subjunctive

yomantuviera

túmantuvieras

él/ella/ustedmantuviera

nosotrosmantuviéramos

vosotrosmantuvierais

ellos/ellas/ustedesmantuvieran

View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "mantén" in Spanish:

hold keep preserve

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: mantén

Question 1 of 1

Which of these situations requires the command form 'mantén'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family

mantener(to maintain, to keep) — Verb

mantenimiento(maintenance) — Noun

🎵 Rhymes

ten ven

📚 Etymology

The verb *mantener* comes from the Latin phrase *manu tenēre*, literally meaning 'to hold with the hand.' This origin explains why the verb is fundamentally about holding onto something, whether physically or figuratively (like a promise or a state of mind).

First recorded: 13th century (for the base verb *mantener*)

Cognates (Related words)

French: maintenirItalian: mantenere

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 'mantén' irregular if the base verb is -er?

'Mantener' is a compound verb built on 'tener' (to have/hold). Because 'tener' has the irregular command 'ten', 'mantener' follows that pattern, resulting in the irregular 'mantén' instead of the expected 'mantiene'.

What is the difference between 'mantén' and 'mantiene'?

'Mantén' is a command: 'Keep!' (used with 'tú'). 'Mantiene' is a statement: 'He/She/It keeps' or 'You (usted) keep.' They are used for different purposes, even though they look similar.