mantuvimos

Mantuvimos is the first-person plural preterite form of the Spanish verb mantener, meaning to keep, maintain, or uphold. It marks a completed action in the past and can refer to keeping a promise, preserving a condition, or supporting someone or something.

Conjugation and forms: Mantener is irregular in the preterite. The principal forms are mantuve, mantuviste, mantuvo, mantuvimos, mantuvisteis, mantuvieron. The present tense forms are mantengo, mantienes, mantiene, mantenemos, mantenéis, mantienen. The past participle is mantenido, used in compound tenses with haber, such as hemos mantenido or habían mantenido.

Etymology and related terms: Mantener derives from Latin roots related to manūs (hand) and tenere (to hold), reflecting senses of supporting or sustaining. In modern Spanish, related nouns include mantenimiento (maintenance), mantenedor (supporter/maintainer), and sostenimiento (sustenance).

Usage and senses: Mantener covers several nuanced meanings, including to keep in a given state (mantener en buen estado), to support or financially maintain someone (mantener a una familia), to uphold a position or argument (mantener una postura), and to continue or sustain a practice or condition (mantener una actitud). In narrative past contexts, mantuvimos is common for describing completed past actions.

Examples:

- Ayer mantuvimos nuestra promesa de ayudar al equipo.

- Mantuvimos la casa en buen estado durante todo el invierno.

- La empresa mantuvo a todos sus empleados tras la crisis; sin embargo, en el pasado, mantuvimos una política de ahorro.

See also: mantener, mantenimiento, sostenimiento.