hältst

Hältst is the second-person singular present tense form of the German verb halten. It corresponds to the English “you hold” or “you keep” and is used when addressing someone informally with the pronoun du. The verb halten has a wide range of meanings, including to hold physically, to keep in a state, to stop moving, to maintain a position, and to adhere to rules or beliefs.

Etymology and form: halten comes from Old High German haltan and is related to Dutch houden and English hold. In the 2nd person singular present tense the stem vowel undergoes umlaut, producing hältst. The pronunciation is typically [hɛltst].

Usage and examples: du hältst das Buch (you are holding the book), Was hältst du davon? (What do you think about it?), Er hält sich an die Regeln (he adheres to the rules), Wir halten eine Rede (we are giving a speech), Sie hält den Atem an (she holds her breath). The verb also participates in many verb-prefix constructions, such as anhalten (to stop), festhalten (to hold on to or to retain), and sich an etwas halten (to adhere to something). As with other German verbs, the form changes with the subject: ich halte, du hältst, er hält, wir halten, ihr haltet, Sie halten.

Notes: Besides physical holding, halten is frequently used in abstract senses—holding an opinion, keeping a promise, or maintaining a mood. The du-form händt, written as hältst, is one of the most common conjugations encountered in spoken and written German.