mantenemmo

Mantenemmo is the first-person plural form of the Italian verb mantenere in the passato remoto, the simple past tense used mainly in literary and formal narrative. The meaning is "we maintained" or "we kept." The verb mantenere itself comes from Latin manutenere, built from manu (hand) and tenere (to hold), with the general sense of preserving, supporting, or continuing to hold something.

In modern Italian, the passato remoto is primarily found in written, historical, or ceremonial contexts. Consequently, mantenemmo appears mainly in novels, chronicles, or essays, while everyday speech and most journalism favor the passato prossimo, such as abbiamo mantenuto, to express past actions.

Conjugation note: in the passato remoto of mantenere, the forms include io mantenni, tu mantenesti, egli mantenne, noi mantenemmo, voi manteneste, essi mantennero. As the first-person plural form, mantenemmo is used to describe a completed action by a plural subject in a past narrative.

Example: Mantenemmo la promessa nonostante le difficoltà. This sentence illustrates the use of the passato remoto to report a past event in a formal or narrative context.

See also: Italian verbs, Passato remoto, Mantenere.