mantener

to hold

mantener(mahn-teh-nehr)

transitive verb

1. (to bear)

a. to hold

Mantén el libro para que lo fotografíe.

Hold the book so I can take a picture of it.

b. to support

Manténle la cabeza al bebé con la mano bajo el cuello.

Support the baby's head with your hand under his neck.

2. (to provide for)

a. to support

Tiene una familia numerosa que mantener.

He has a large family to support.

b. to maintain

Es difícil mantener un hogar con el sueldo de una enfermera.

It's hard to maintain a household on a nurse's salary.

3. (to preserve)

a. to keep

Por favor, mantengan la calma y sigan adelante.

Please, keep calm and keep moving.

b. to keep up

Aunque salió de la aldea hace 30 años, Julia todavía mantiene sus tradiciones.

Even though Julia left the village 30 years ago, she still keeps up its traditions.

c. to maintain

Me cuesta mucho mantener un peso saludable.

I really struggle to maintain a healthy weight.

4. (to sustain)

a. to have

Mantuve una conversación muy interesante con el encargado.

I had a very interesting conversation with the manager.

5. (to affirm)

a. to maintain

Mantienen que mi teoría es errónea.

They maintain that my theory is flawed.

b. to stick to

El sospechoso mantuvo la misma historia después de tres horas de interrogación.

The suspect stuck to his story after three hours of interrogation.

mantenerse

pronominal verb

6. (to remain)

a. to stay

Se mantiene cuerdo gracias al medicamento.

He stays sane thanks to the medication.

b. to remain

La torre se mantuvo en pie aún después del temblor.

The tower remained standing even after the earthquake.

c. to keep

Dedica mucho tiempo a mantenerse en forma.

He devotes a lot of time to keeping fit.

reflexive verb

7. (to provide for oneself)

a. to support oneself

Se mantiene con dos trabajos.

She supports herself with two jobs.

8. (to feed oneself)

a. to live on

Se mantuvieron a base de la pizza durante la semana de exámenes.

They lived on pizza during exam week.