manter

Manter is a Portuguese verb meaning to keep, to maintain, to retain, or to support. It is widely used in both Brazilian and European Portuguese and can express physical maintenance, ongoing conditions, or the act of sustaining something over time. As a transitive verb, it often governs a direct object, as in manter a casa (to keep the house), manter a calma (to maintain calm), or manter compromissos (to keep commitments). It can also be reflexive, as in manter-se firme (to stay/keep oneself firm).

Common uses include keeping physical state or quality (manter a boa forma), preserving or sustaining an object or situation (manter a ordem, manter o dispositivo funcionando), and providing financial or moral support (manter a família). In everyday speech, manter frequently appears in formal or written contexts but remains common in spoken Portuguese as well.

Conjugation overview (presented in standard Brazilian Portuguese forms): present indicative — eu mantenho, você mantém, nós mantemos, eles mantêm. Pretérito perfeito — eu mantive, você manteve, nós mantivemos, eles mantiveram. Gerúndio — mantendo. Particípio passado — mantido. Futuro do presente — eu manterei, você manterá, nós manteremos, eles manterão. Note that some dialects use slightly different forms or pronoun placement; the second person singular form is often contracted to Você mantém in Brazilian usage, with tu forms being less common outside some regions.

Related expressions include manter-se (to maintain oneself or to stay), manter a palavra (to keep one’s word), and manter o equilíbrio (to maintain balance).