Ella Verbsmantenerse to support (oneself), to hold up, to remain Irregular Verb Top 100
At a glance: Mantenerse (to support (oneself), to hold up, to remain) is one of the most common reflexive irregular verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: me mantengo, te mantienes, se mantiene, nos mantenemos, os mantenéis, se mantienen. It is conjugated like tener. Yo adds a g (mantengo); tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos change e to ie (mantienes, mantiene, mantienen); nosotros and vosotros are regular. It is also irregular in the preterite (me mantuve), future (me mantendré), conditional (me mantendría) and subjunctive.

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The Indicative Present of mantenerse is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, “me mantengo”, meaning “I support”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me mantengo | I support |
| Tú | te mantienes | you support |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se mantiene | s/he supports |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos mantenemos | we support |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os mantenéis | you (plural) support |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se mantienen | they support |
How it’s built: Yo adds a g (mantengo); tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos change e to ie (mantienes, mantiene, mantienen); nosotros and vosotros are regular. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Indicative Preterite of mantenerse is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “me mantuve”, meaning “I supported”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me mantuve | I supported |
| Tú | te mantuviste | you supported |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se mantuvo | s/he supported |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos mantuvimos | we supported |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os mantuvisteis | you (plural) supported |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se mantuvieron | they supported |
How it’s built: Irregular stem mantuv- plus the endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Indicative Imperfect of mantenerse is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “me mantenía”, meaning “I used to support”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me mantenía | I used to support |
| Tú | te mantenías | you used to support |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se mantenía | s/he used to support |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos manteníamos | we used to support |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os manteníais | you (plural) used to support |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se mantenían | they used to support |
How it’s built: Regular: stem manten- plus the -er endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Present Continuous of mantenerse is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “me estoy manteniendo”, meaning “I am supporting”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me estoy manteniendo | I am supporting |
| Tú | te estás manteniendo | you are supporting |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se está manteniendo | s/he is supporting |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos estamos manteniendo | we are supporting |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os estáis manteniendo | you (plural) are supporting |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se están manteniendo | they are supporting |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund manteniendo. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Informal Future of mantenerse is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “me voy a mantener”, meaning “I am going to support”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me voy a mantener | I am going to support |
| Tú | te vas a mantener | you are going to support |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se va a mantener | s/he is going to support |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos vamos a mantener | we are going to support |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os vais a mantener | you (plural) are going to support |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se van a mantener | they are going to support |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive mantener. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Future of mantenerse is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “me mantendré”, meaning “I will support”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me mantendré | I will support |
| Tú | te mantendrás | you will support |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se mantendrá | s/he will support |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos mantendremos | we will support |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os mantendréis | you (plural) will support |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se mantendrán | they will support |
How it’s built: Irregular stem mantendr- instead of mantener, plus the future endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Indicative Conditional of mantenerse is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “me mantendría”, meaning “I would support”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me mantendría | I would support |
| Tú | te mantendrías | you would support |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se mantendría | s/he would support |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos mantendríamos | we would support |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os mantendríais | you (plural) would support |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se mantendrían | they would support |
How it’s built: Irregular stem mantendr- instead of mantener, plus the conditional endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Indicative Present Perfect of mantenerse is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, “me he mantenido”, meaning “I have supported”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me he mantenido | I have supported |
| Tú | te has mantenido | you have supported |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se ha mantenido | s/he has supported |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hemos mantenido | we have supported |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habéis mantenido | you (plural) have supported |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se han mantenido | they have supported |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle mantenido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Past Perfect of mantenerse is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “me había mantenido”, meaning “I had supported”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me había mantenido | I had supported |
| Tú | te habías mantenido | you had supported |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se había mantenido | s/he had supported |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habíamos mantenido | we had supported |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habíais mantenido | you (plural) had supported |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habían mantenido | they had supported |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle mantenido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Future Perfect of mantenerse is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “me habré mantenido”, meaning “I will have supported”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me habré mantenido | I will have supported |
| Tú | te habrás mantenido | you will have supported |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se habrá mantenido | s/he will have supported |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habremos mantenido | we will have supported |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habréis mantenido | you (plural) will have supported |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habrán mantenido | they will have supported |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle mantenido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of mantenerse is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “me habría mantenido”, meaning “I would have supported”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me habría mantenido | I would have supported |
| Tú | te habrías mantenido | you would have supported |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se habría mantenido | s/he would have supported |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habríamos mantenido | we would have supported |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habríais mantenido | you (plural) would have supported |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habrían mantenido | they would have supported |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle mantenido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Mantenerse follows the same pattern as tener. The app teaches that pattern step by step, then quizzes you until both come out automatically.
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, “me mantenga”, meaning “I support”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me mantenga | I support |
| Tú | te mantengas | you support |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se mantenga | s/he supports |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos mantengamos | we support |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os mantengáis | you (plural) support |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se mantengan | they support |
How it’s built: Every form follows the yo present, mantengo (mantenga, mantengas, mantenga, mantengamos, mantengáis, mantengan). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, “me mantuviera”, meaning “I supported”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me mantuviera | I supported |
| Tú | te mantuvieras | you supported |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se mantuviera | s/he supported |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos mantuviéramos | we supported |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os mantuvierais | you (plural) supported |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se mantuvieran | they supported |
How it’s built: Built on the irregular ellas/ellos preterite, mantuvieron: drop -ron and add the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (mantuviéramos). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, “me mantuviere”, meaning “I will support”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me mantuviere | I will support |
| Tú | te mantuvieres | you will support |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se mantuviere | s/he will support |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos mantuviéremos | we will support |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os mantuviereis | you (plural) will support |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se mantuvieren | they will support |
How it’s built: Built on the irregular ellas/ellos preterite, mantuvieron: drop -ron and add the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (mantuviéremos). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, “me haya mantenido”, meaning “I have supported”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me haya mantenido | I have supported |
| Tú | te hayas mantenido | you have supported |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se haya mantenido | s/he has supported |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hayamos mantenido | we have supported |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hayáis mantenido | you (plural) have supported |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hayan mantenido | they have supported |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle mantenido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, “me hubiera mantenido”, meaning “I had supported”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me hubiera mantenido | I had supported |
| Tú | te hubieras mantenido | you had supported |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se hubiera mantenido | s/he had supported |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hubiéramos mantenido | we had supported |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hubierais mantenido | you (plural) had supported |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hubieran mantenido | they had supported |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle mantenido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, “me hubiere mantenido”, meaning “I will have supported”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me hubiere mantenido | I will have supported |
| Tú | te hubieres mantenido | you will have supported |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se hubiere mantenido | s/he will have supported |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hubiéremos mantenido | we will have supported |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hubiereis mantenido | you (plural) will have supported |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hubieren mantenido | they will have supported |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle mantenido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “manténgase”, meaning “(to you formal) support!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | mantente | (to you) support! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | manténgase | (to you formal) support! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | mantengámonos | let's support! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | manteneos | (to you plural) support! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | manténganse | (to you plural formal) support! |
How it’s built: Tú is irregular (mantente); usted and ustedes take the subjunctive present and attach se (manténgase, manténganse); nosotros takes the subjunctive present, drops the s and attaches nos (mantengámonos); vosotros drops the final r of the infinitive and attaches os (manteneos).
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no se mantenga”, meaning “(to you formal) don't support!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no te mantengas | (to you) don't support! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no se mantenga | (to you formal) don't support! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no nos mantengamos | let's not support! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no os mantengáis | (to you plural) don't support! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no se mantengan | (to you plural formal) don't support! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no te mantengas, no se mantenga, no nos mantengamos, no os mantengáis, no se mantengan.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
Mantenerse is an irregular Spanish verb. It is conjugated like tener. In the present tense: yo adds a g (mantengo); tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos change e to ie (mantienes, mantiene, mantienen); nosotros and vosotros are regular. It is also irregular in the preterite (me mantuve), future (me mantendré), conditional (me mantendría) and subjunctive.
In the present tense (presente), mantenerse is conjugated as: yo me mantengo, tú te mantienes, él/ella/usted se mantiene, nosotros nos mantenemos, vosotros os mantenéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se mantienen. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), mantenerse is conjugated as: yo me mantuve, tú te mantuviste, él/ella/usted se mantuvo, nosotros nos mantuvimos, vosotros os mantuvisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se mantuvieron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), mantenerse is conjugated as: yo me mantenía, tú te mantenías, él/ella/usted se mantenía, nosotros nos manteníamos, vosotros os manteníais, ellos/ellas/ustedes se mantenían. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
In the future tense (futuro simple), mantenerse is conjugated as: yo me mantendré, tú te mantendrás, él/ella/usted se mantendrá, nosotros nos mantendremos, vosotros os mantendréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se mantendrán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), mantenerse is conjugated as: yo me mantenga, tú te mantengas, él/ella/usted se mantenga, nosotros nos mantengamos, vosotros os mantengáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se mantengan. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.
Mantener means ‘to maintain, to keep’ and mantenerse means ‘to support (oneself), to hold up, to remain’. Mantenerse is the reflexive form of mantener, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun – me, te, se, nos, os or se – that matches the subject. The verb itself is conjugated the same way: in the present tense, yo mantengo becomes me mantengo. In the affirmative tú imperative the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb, so mantén becomes mantente.
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