mantuvo
man-TOO-boh
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Ella **mantuvo** una actitud positiva a pesar de las dificultades.
B1She **maintained** a positive attitude despite the difficulties.
El presidente **mantuvo** silencio sobre el escándalo.
B2The president **kept** silent about the scandal.
Usted **mantuvo** su palabra y eso es admirable.
B1You (formal) **kept** your word, and that is admirable.
💡 Grammar Points
Who Did It?
Mantuvo is only used when the person doing the action is 'he' (él), 'she' (ella), or the formal 'you' (usted). It never refers to 'I' or 'we'.
Simple Past Action
This verb form describes an action that started and finished completely in the past, like a single event or a state that ended at a specific time.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Irregularity Alert
Mistake: "Using the regular past tense ending, like *mantenió*."
Correction: The verb *mantener* is highly irregular in the simple past, borrowing the 'uv' pattern from *tener*. Remember: *tener* → *tuvo*; *mantener* → *mantuvo*.
⭐ Usage Tips
Keeping vs. Having
Since mantener is related to tener (to have), it’s easy to confuse the two. Use mantuvo when someone actively kept or preserved something, not just when they passively had it.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: mantuvo
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'mantuvo'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know when to use 'mantuvo' instead of 'mantenía'?
'Mantuvo' (simple past) is for a single, completed action in the past (e.g., 'He kept the secret'). 'Mantenía' (imperfect past) is for ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past (e.g., 'He used to keep his room tidy').
Why is 'mantuvo' so irregular?
Because *mantener* is built on the very common and very irregular verb *tener* (to have). *Tener* has the special 'uv' simple past form (*tuvo*), and *mantener* follows the exact same pattern: *mantuvo*.