Behältst

Behältst is the second-person singular present tense form of the German verb behalten, which means to keep, retain, or preserve. The form is used when addressing the you. It can refer to keeping something physically, retaining information, or maintaining a state.

Behalten is an irregular verb with an umlaut in the du and er forms in the present tense: ich behalte, du behältst, er behält, wir behalten, ihr behaltet, sie behalten. The past participle is behalten, and in perfect tenses it is used with the auxiliary haben (du hast behalten, er hat behalten). This umlaut change is a common pattern in several German verbs where the stem vowel shifts in the du and er forms.

Usage notes include physical retention, such as keeping an object, as well as cognitive retention, such as remembering or keeping in mind. The phrase bezeichnen often appears in fixed expressions like “etwas im Gedächtnis behalten” (to keep something in memory). The verb can also be used in contexts of controlling or preserving status, rights, or information.

Examples:

- Du behältst das Geld sicher. (You keep the money safely.)

- Du behältst den Überblick, wenn du Listen führst. (You keep an overview when you keep lists.)

- Du behältst das im Gedächtnis. (You keep that in memory.)

Etymology and related forms: behalten is a compound of be- and halten (to hold). The du form’s umlaut reflects a vowel alternation seen in many German verbs, signaling a tense and person distinction rather than a new lexical meaning.