Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Sostener in Spanish
To sustain, to hold Irregular Verb
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Sostener
- Sostener in the Indicative Present
- Sostener in the Indicative Preterite
- Sostener in the Indicative Imperfect
- Sostener in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Sostener in the Indicative Informal Future
- Sostener in the Indicative Future
- Sostener in the Indicative Conditional
- Sostener in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Sostener in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Sostener in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Sostener in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Sostener
- Imperative tenses of Sostener
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Sostener conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Sostener is the Spanish verb for "to sustain, to hold". It is an irregular verb. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!
Similar verbs to sostener include: contener, guardar, sujetar, sufrir.
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | sostener | to sustain, to hold |
| Past participle | sostenido | sustained |
| Gerund | sosteniendo | sustaining |
Indicative Tenses of Sostener
Sostener in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of sostener 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, "sostengo", meaning "I sustain".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sostengo | I sustain |
| Tú | sostienes | you sustain |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sostiene | s/he sustains, you (formal) sustain |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sostenemos | we sustain |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sostenéis | you (plural) sustain |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sostienen | they sustain, you (plural formal) sustain |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of sostener is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "sostuve", meaning "I sustained".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sostuve | I sustained |
| Tú | sostuviste | you sustained |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sostuvo | s/he sustained, you (formal) sustained |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sostuvimos | we sustained |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sostuvisteis | you (plural) sustained |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sostuvieron | they sustained, you (plural formal) sustained |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of sostener is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "sostenía", meaning "I used to sustain".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sostenía | I used to sustain |
| Tú | sostenías | you used to sustain |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sostenía | s/he used to sustain, you (formal) used to sustain |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sosteníamos | we used to sustain |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sosteníais | you (plural) used to sustain |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sostenían | they used to sustain, you (plural formal) used to sustain |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of sostener is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy sosteniendo", meaning "I am sustaining".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy sosteniendo | I am sustaining |
| Tú | estás sosteniendo | you are sustaining |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está sosteniendo | s/he is sustaining, you (formal) are sustaining |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos sosteniendo | we are sustaining |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis sosteniendo | you (plural) are sustaining |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están sosteniendo | they are sustaining, you (plural formal) are sustaining |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of sostener is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a sostener", meaning "I am going to sustain".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a sostener | I am going to sustain |
| Tú | vas a sostener | you are going to sustain |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a sostener | s/he is going to sustain, you (formal) are going to sustain |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a sostener | we are going to sustain |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a sostener | you (plural) are going to sustain |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a sostener | they are going to sustain, you (plural formal) are going to sustain |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of sostener is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "sostendré", meaning "I will sustain".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sostendré | I will sustain |
| Tú | sostendrás | you will sustain |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sostendrá | s/he will sustain, you (formal) will sustain |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sostendremos | we will sustain |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sostendréis | you (plural) will sustain |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sostendrán | they will sustain, you (plural formal) will sustain |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of sostener is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "sostendría", meaning "I would sustain".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sostendría | I would sustain |
| Tú | sostendrías | you would sustain |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sostendría | s/he would sustain, you (formal) would sustain |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sostendríamos | we would sustain |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sostendríais | you (plural) would sustain |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sostendrían | they would sustain, you (plural formal) would sustain |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of sostener 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, "he sostenido", meaning "I have sustained".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he sostenido | I have sustained |
| Tú | has sostenido | you have sustained |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha sostenido | s/he has sustained, you (formal) have sustained |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos sostenido | we have sustained |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis sostenido | you (plural) have sustained |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han sostenido | they have sustained, you (plural formal) have sustained |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of sostener is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había sostenido", meaning "I had sustained".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había sostenido | I had sustained |
| Tú | habías sostenido | you had sustained |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había sostenido | s/he had sustained, you (formal) had sustained |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos sostenido | we had sustained |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais sostenido | you (plural) had sustained |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían sostenido | they had sustained, you (plural formal) had sustained |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of sostener is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré sostenido", meaning "I will have sustained".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré sostenido | I will have sustained |
| Tú | habrás sostenido | you will have sustained |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá sostenido | s/he will have sustained, you (formal) will have sustained |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos sostenido | we will have sustained |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis sostenido | you (plural) will have sustained |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán sostenido | they will have sustained, you (plural formal) will have sustained |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of sostener is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría sostenido", meaning "I would have sustained".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría sostenido | I would have sustained |
| Tú | habrías sostenido | you would have sustained |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría sostenido | s/he would have sustained, you (formal) would have sustained |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos sostenido | we would have sustained |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais sostenido | you (plural) would have sustained |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían sostenido | they would have sustained, you (plural formal) would have sustained |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Subjunctive Tenses of Sostener
Sostener in the Subjunctive Present
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, "sostenga", meaning "I sustain".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sostenga | I sustain |
| Tú | sostengas | you sustain |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sostenga | s/he sustains, you (formal) sustain |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sostengamos | we sustain |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sostengáis | you (plural) sustain |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sostengan | they sustain, you (plural formal) sustain |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Subjunctive Imperfect
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, "sostuviera", meaning "I sustained".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sostuviera | I sustained |
| Tú | sostuvieras | you sustained |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sostuviera | s/he sustained, you (formal) sustained |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sostuviéramos | we sustained |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sostuvierais | you (plural) sustained |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sostuvieran | they sustained, you (plural formal) sustained |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, "sostuviere", meaning "I will sustain".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sostuviere | I will sustain |
| Tú | sostuvieres | you will sustain |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sostuviere | s/he will sustain, you (formal) will sustain |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sostuviéremos | we will sustain |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sostuviereis | you (plural) will sustain |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sostuvieren | they will sustain, you (plural formal) will sustain |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
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, "haya sostenido", meaning "I have sustained".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya sostenido | I have sustained |
| Tú | hayas sostenido | you have sustained |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya sostenido | s/he has sustained, you (formal) have sustained |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos sostenido | we have sustained |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis sostenido | you (plural) have sustained |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan sostenido | they have sustained, you (plural formal) have sustained |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
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, "hubiera sostenido", meaning "I had sustained".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera sostenido | I had sustained |
| Tú | hubieras sostenido | you had sustained |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera sostenido | s/he had sustained, you (formal) had sustained |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos sostenido | we had sustained |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais sostenido | you (plural) had sustained |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran sostenido | they had sustained, you (plural formal) had sustained |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, "hubiere sostenido", meaning "I will have sustained".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere sostenido | I will have sustained |
| Tú | hubieres sostenido | you will have sustained |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere sostenido | s/he will have sustained, you (formal) will have sustained |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos sostenido | we will have sustained |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis sostenido | you (plural) will have sustained |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren sostenido | they will have sustained, you (plural formal) will have sustained |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Imperative Tenses of Sostener
Sostener in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "sostenga", meaning "(to you formal) sustain!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | sostén | (to you) sustain! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sostenga | (to you formal) sustain! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sostengamos | let's sustain! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sostened | (to you plural) sustain! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sostengan | (to you plural formal) sustain! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Sostener in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no sostenga", meaning "(to you formal) don't sustain!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no sostengas | (to you) don't sustain! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no sostenga | (to you formal) don't sustain! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no sostengamos | let's not sustain! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no sostengáis | (to you plural) don't sustain! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no sostengan | (to you plural formal) don't sustain! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Sostener Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
Back to top
Practice Sostener conjugations (free mobile & web app)
Get full conjugation tables for Sostener and 2,000+ other verbs on-the-go with Ella Verbs for iOS, Android, and web.
We also guide you through learning all Spanish tenses and test your knowledge with conjugation quizzes. Download it for free!
Back to top
About Ella Verbs
👋 Hola! We built Ella Verbs to help people (and ourselves!) master one of the hardest parts of Spanish – verb conjugation. It guides you through learning all tenses in an easy-to-follow way, giving you levels of bite-sized lessons and fun quizzes. Here is a 6 minute overview of all of the app's features:
It has changed a lot over the 6+ years we have been working on it, but the goal remains the same – to help you master Spanish conjugation! You can download and try it for free, and, if you do, please send any and all feedback our way!
- Jane & Brian
Back to top
Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Subir – to go up, to upload, to rise or see the complete list of verbs here.
Back to top
Sostener: to sustain, to hold
Remove the mystery behind Spanish conjugation with Ella Verbs
- Learn how to conjugate (not just memorize)
- Discover & focus on your weaknesses
- Interactive quizzes that you actually learn from
- Free to try, and free forever for those who cannot afford it.
