How to Say "maintained" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “maintained” is “mantenido” — use 'mantenido' as a past participle when it functions as part of a compound tense with 'haber' (e.g., 'ha mantenido' - has maintained) or as an adjective describing something that has been kept in a certain condition..
mantenido
man-teh-NEE-doh/manteˈniðo/
Examples
El coche ha sido bien mantenido por su dueño.
The car has been well maintained by its owner.
El parque está muy bien mantenido, siempre luce limpio.
The park is very well maintained; it always looks clean.
Debido a la crisis, el precio de la gasolina se ha mantenido alto.
Due to the crisis, the price of gasoline has been kept high.
Siempre hemos mantenido nuestra promesa.
We have always maintained our promise.
Agreement
Like many Spanish adjectives, 'mantenido' must change its ending to match the noun it describes: 'mantenida' (feminine), 'mantenidos' (plural masculine), and 'mantenidas' (plural feminine).
mantenido
man-teh-NEE-doh/manteˈniðo/
Examples
El parque está muy bien mantenido, siempre luce limpio.
The park is very well maintained; it always looks clean.
Debido a la crisis, el precio de la gasolina se ha mantenido alto.
Due to the crisis, the price of gasoline has been kept high.
Siempre hemos mantenido nuestra promesa.
We have always maintained our promise.
¿Quién ha mantenido la luz encendida toda la noche?
Who has kept the light on all night?
Agreement
Like many Spanish adjectives, 'mantenido' must change its ending to match the noun it describes: 'mantenida' (feminine), 'mantenidos' (plural masculine), and 'mantenidas' (plural feminine).
mantuvo
/man-TOO-boh//manˈtuβo/
Examples
Ella mantuvo una actitud positiva a pesar de las dificultades.
She maintained a positive attitude despite the difficulties.
Ella **mantuvo** una actitud positiva a pesar de las dificultades.
She **maintained** a positive attitude despite the difficulties.
El presidente **mantuvo** silencio sobre el escándalo.
The president **kept** silent about the scandal.
Usted **mantuvo** su palabra y eso es admirable.
You (formal) **kept** your word, and that is admirable.
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.
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*.
Mantenido vs. Mantuvo
Related Translations
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