Mantenerse Conjugation in Spanish

mantenerse is the Spanish verb for «to stay, to remain». As a stem-changing -er verb (e → ie), reflexive verb it follows the -er endings, and the tables on this page list every form so you never have to guess. You will find the present, the past tenses, the future, the conditional, the perfect tenses, the subjunctive and the imperative, each with a short note on when to use it. Start with the present tense: «Me mantengo todos los días» — I stay every day. Then work down the page tense by tense, and finish with the quiz.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: mantenerse
  • English: to stay, to remain
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (e → ie), reflexive
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: manteniendo
  • Past participle: mantenido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + mantenido)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.
  • Stem change: e → ie — the stem vowel changes in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms of the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative.
  • Irregular in: present indicative, preterite, future, conditional, present subjunctive, imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), imperative — affirmative, imperative — negative.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for mantenerse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

mantenerse is reflexive: Me mantengo todos los días; te mantienes todos los días. Without the pronoun, the verb means doing the action to someone else rather than to yourself, so keep the pronoun with the form.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for mantenerse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Gerund: manteniendo · Past participle: mantenido

Present Indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me mantengo
tú te mantienes
él/ella/Ud. se mantiene
nosotros/as nos mantenemos
vosotros/as os mantenéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se mantienen

Use the present of mantenerse for things that happen regularly and for things that are true in general. The yo form mantengo is the anchor of the table: the other persons follow the regular -er endings from it. When you talk about yourself right now, this is the form you need. Watch the stem: mantenerse changes the stem vowel in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem. This is one of the tenses where mantenerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me mantuve
tú te mantuviste
él/ella/Ud. se mantuvo
nosotros/as nos mantuvimos
vosotros/as os mantuvisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se mantuvieron

Use the preterite of mantenerse for a single finished event: something that happened once and is over. The yo form is mantuve. If you can put a finished time expression with it — ayer, la semana pasada, anoche — the preterite is usually right. This is one of the tenses where mantenerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me mantenía
tú te mantenías
él/ella/Ud. se mantenía
nosotros/as nos manteníamos
vosotros/as os manteníais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se mantenían

Use the imperfect of mantenerse for what used to happen and for what was going on when something else happened. The yo form is mantenía. If the action has no clear beginning or end in the story, the imperfect is the right choice.

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me mantendré
tú te mantendrás
él/ella/Ud. se mantendrá
nosotros/as nos mantendremos
vosotros/as os mantendréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se mantendrán

Use the future of mantenerse for plans, promises and predictions. The yo form is mantendré, built on the infinitive plus the future endings. For a firm plan, the future sounds more formal than ir a + infinitive; for a casual plan, either works. This is one of the tenses where mantenerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me mantendría
tú te mantendrías
él/ella/Ud. se mantendría
nosotros/as nos mantendríamos
vosotros/as os mantendríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se mantendrían

Use the conditional of mantenerse for hypothetical situations and for softening requests. The yo form is mantendría. It appears after si-clauses with the imperfect subjunctive and on its own for polite suggestions. This is one of the tenses where mantenerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Present Perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he mantenido
tú te has mantenido
él/ella/Ud. se ha mantenido
nosotros/as nos hemos mantenido
vosotros/as os habéis mantenido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han mantenido

Use the present perfect of mantenerse for recent events with present relevance. The yo form is he mantenido — haber in the present plus mantenido. Time expressions like hoy, esta semana and últimamente are its natural partners.

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había mantenido
tú te habías mantenido
él/ella/Ud. se había mantenido
nosotros/as nos habíamos mantenido
vosotros/as os habíais mantenido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían mantenido

Use the pluperfect of mantenerse when you need two layers of past: one event already finished before another past event began. The yo form is había mantenido. It is the tense of «had already done».

Future Perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré mantenido
tú te habrás mantenido
él/ella/Ud. se habrá mantenido
nosotros/as nos habremos mantenido
vosotros/as os habréis mantenido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán mantenido

Use the future perfect of mantenerse to say that something will be finished by a future moment. The yo form is habré mantenido. It pairs naturally with deadlines: para mañana, para el viernes, para entonces.

Conditional Perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría mantenido
tú te habrías mantenido
él/ella/Ud. se habría mantenido
nosotros/as nos habríamos mantenido
vosotros/as os habríais mantenido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían mantenido

Use the conditional perfect of mantenerse for the past that did not happen: what would have been done with more time or a different choice. The yo form is habría mantenido. It follows si-clauses with the pluperfect subjunctive.

Present Subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me mantenga
tú te mantengas
él/ella/Ud. se mantenga
nosotros/as nos mantengamos
vosotros/as os mantengáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se mantengan

Use the present subjunctive of mantenerse when the main clause expresses a wish, a doubt, an emotion or an impersonal judgement. The yo form is mantenga. After espero que, ojalá que and no creo que, the subjunctive is required, not optional. Watch the stem: mantenerse changes the stem vowel in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem. This is one of the tenses where mantenerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me mantuviera
tú te mantuvieras
él/ella/Ud. se mantuviera
nosotros/as nos mantuviéramos
vosotros/as os mantuvierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se mantuvieran

Use the imperfect subjunctive of mantenerse after past-tense wishes and doubts, and in si-clauses that set up a hypothetical present. The yo form is mantuviera. It is built on the third-person plural preterite stem, which is why it looks different from the present subjunctive. This is one of the tenses where mantenerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Pronoun Form
tú te mantén
él/ella/Ud. se mantenga
nosotros/as nos mantengamos
vosotros/as os mantened
ellos/ellas/Uds. se mantengan

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

In real speech the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of an affirmative command; the table shows the pronoun and the form separately so you can see both parts.

Use the affirmative imperative of mantenerse to tell someone to do something: instructions, invitations and requests. The tú form is mantén. For a polite command, use the usted form mantenga instead of the tú form. Watch the stem: mantenerse changes the stem vowel in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem. This is one of the tenses where mantenerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperative — Negative

Person Pronoun Form
tú te mantengas
él/ella/Ud. se mantenga
nosotros/as nos mantengamos
vosotros/as os mantengáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se mantengan

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

In real speech the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of an affirmative command; the table shows the pronoun and the form separately so you can see both parts.

Use the negative imperative of mantenerse to forbid or to warn: «¡No mantengas!». The tú form is mantengas, taken from the present subjunctive. The word no always comes first, and the form never changes for emphasis. Watch the stem: mantenerse changes the stem vowel in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem. This is one of the tenses where mantenerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Example sentences

  1. Me mantengo todos los días. — I stay every day.
  2. Ayer me mantuve por la tarde. — Yesterday I stayed in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, me mantenía todos los días. — In the past, I used to stay every day.
  4. Mañana me mantendré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will stay without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, me mantendría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would stay right now.
  6. Hoy me he mantenido dos veces. — Today I have stayed twice.
  7. Espero que te mantengas pronto. — I hope You stay soon.
  8. Si me mantuviera, todo sería distinto. — If I stayed, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo me estoy manteniendo. — Right now I am staying.
  10. ¡No te mantengas! — Don't stay!

Common mistakes

1. Forgetting the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: yo mantengo todos los días.

Right: me mantengo todos los días.

mantenerse is reflexive: the pronoun me belongs before every conjugated form. Without it, you are using the non-reflexive verb, which means something different — doing the action to someone else instead of to yourself.

2. Using the unchanged stem in the present

Wrong: Yo manteno.

Right: Yo mantengo.

mantenerse is a stem-changing verb (e → ie). In the present, the stem vowel changes in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms, so the yo form is mantengo, not manteno. Only nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem.

3. Treating mantenerse as fully regular in the present

Wrong: Yo manteno.

Right: Yo mantengo.

mantenerse is irregular in the present tense, so the regular pattern does not apply. The yo form is mantengo — learn it as a separate word rather than building it from the infinitive.

4. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer me mantenía.

Right: Ayer me mantuve.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, mantuve. The imperfect mantenía describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que te mantienes.

Right: Espero que te mantengas.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: mantengas, not the indicative mantienes. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

6. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No te mantén.

Right: No te mantengas.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no mantengas. The affirmative mantén can never follow no.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the tú form of mantenerse in the present indicative?

- (a) mantiene
- (b) mantienes
- (c) mantenemos
- (d) mantengo

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of mantenerse in the preterite?

- (a) mantuvo
- (b) mantuve
- (c) mantuvimos
- (d) mantuviste

3. What is the nosotros/as form of mantenerse in the imperfect?

- (a) mantenías
- (b) manteníamos
- (c) mantenía
- (d) mantenía

4. What is the vosotros/as form of mantenerse in the future?

- (a) mantendrás
- (b) mantendréis
- (c) mantendrá
- (d) mantendré

5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of mantenerse in the conditional?

- (a) mantendrías
- (b) mantendrían
- (c) mantendría
- (d) mantendría

6. What is the yo form of mantenerse in the present perfect?

- (a) ha mantenido
- (b) he mantenido
- (c) has mantenido
- (d) hemos mantenido

7. What is the tú form of mantenerse in the present subjunctive?

- (a) mantenga
- (b) mantenga
- (c) mantengas
- (d) mantengamos

8. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of mantenerse in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) mantuviera
- (b) mantuviera
- (c) mantuviéramos
- (d) mantuvieras

9. What is the gerund of mantenerse?

- (a) mantenerse
- (b) manteniendo
- (c) mantenido
- (d) mantengo

10. What is the past participle of mantenerse?

- (a) manteniendo
- (b) mantenido
- (c) mantenerse
- (d) mantuve

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of mantenerse is mantienes. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the preterite, the él/ella/Ud. form of mantenerse is mantuvo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the imperfect, the nosotros/as form of mantenerse is manteníamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the future, the vosotros/as form of mantenerse is mantendréis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the conditional, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of mantenerse is mantendrían. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present perfect, the yo form of mantenerse is he mantenido. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — In the present subjunctive, the tú form of mantenerse is mantengas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the él/ella/Ud. form of mantenerse is mantuviera. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (b) — The gerund of mantenerse is manteniendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy manteniendo». 10. (b) — The past participle of mantenerse is mantenido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he mantenido».

Frequently asked questions

Is mantenerse regular or irregular?

No — mantenerse is a stem-changing verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms of the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative, while nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem. The endings themselves stay regular.

What are the gerund and past participle of mantenerse?

The gerund is manteniendo and the past participle is mantenido. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy manteniendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he mantenido»).

How do I say «I stay» in Spanish?

Say «Me mantengo todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of mantenerse?

Use the preterite (mantuve) for a single finished event and the imperfect (mantenía) for habits and background. «Ayer yo mantuve» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo mantenía» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with mantenerse?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú mantengas». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

What does the -se in mantenerse mean?

The -se marks mantenerse as reflexive: the action comes back to the subject. You always pair the form with its pronoun — me, te, se, nos, os, se — placed before the conjugated verb. Dropping the pronoun changes the meaning, so treat the pronoun as part of the verb.

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