behalte

Behalte is the imperative form of the German verb behalten. The base meaning is to keep, retain, or preserve something, and it can also mean to remember or to keep in one’s possession or rights. The infinitive is behalten, and the related noun form Behalten refers to the act of keeping in some contexts.

Etymology and forms: Behalten derives from Old High German be-halten, from halten (to hold). In present tense, behalten is a strong verb with a vowel change in some forms: ich behalte, du behältst, er behält, wir behalten, ihr behaltet, sie behalten. The imperative forms are Behalte (singular), Behaltet (plural), and Behalten Sie (formal).

Usage: Behalte is used to instruct someone to keep or retain something. It can also express keeping something in memory: Behalte das im Gedächtnis. In contexts involving physical storage or protection, other verbs such as aufbewahren (store) or bewahren (preserve) may be more natural. The word appears in everyday speech, manuals, and guidance where possession or memory preservation is being emphasized.

Examples:

- Behalte das Dokument gut aufbewahrt.

- Behalte das Rezept sicher, du könntest es einmal brauchen.

- Behalte deine Ziele im Gedächtnis.

Related terms include behalten as the infinitive, Behalten Sie for polite address, and Behaltung (retention, keeping). The expression im Gedächtnis behalten is common for memory-related usage.