mantenere

Mantenere is an Italian verb meaning to maintain, keep, or uphold. It covers keeping something in a given state, preserving a condition or system, and providing financial support to someone. The sense is often ongoing or habitual, as in mantenere una dieta, mantenere l’ordine, or mantenere una famiglia.

Etymology and related forms: The verb comes from Latin manu tenēre, literally “to hold by hand,” a sense that broadened to include holding, keeping, and sustaining in general. The noun manutenzione (maintenance) is derived from the same root. Mantenere is a second-conjugation (-ere) verb and uses the past participle mantenuto.

Conjugation and usage: In the present indicative, common forms are io mantengo, tu mantieni, lui/lei mantiene, noi manteniamo, voi mantenete, loro mantengono. The imperfect is mantenevo, mantenevi, manteneva, mantenevamo, mantenevate, mantenevano; the preterite is mantenni, mantenesti, mantenne, mantenemmo, manteneste, mantennero. The past participle is mante nto: mantenuto. The verb is used transitively with a direct object or with a complement to express financial support, upkeep of a thing, or the maintenance of a state or condition, as in mantenere una promessa, mantenere la calma, or mantenere l’ordine.

Examples and usage notes: Mantenere a dieta significa seguire una alimentazione restrittiva nel tempo. Mantenere una promessa implies a continued obligation to fulfil what was promised. Mantenere una famiglia corresponds to providing for dependents. In some contexts, mantenere can be synonym of conservare or preservare, but it often emphasizes ongoing effort to keep something in a desired state, rather than simply holding it.

See also: manutenzione, tenere, conservare.