sostuvo

Sostuvo is the third-person singular form in the preterite tense of the Spanish verb sostener. It conveys a completed action in the past and can describe someone physically holding something, supporting an object, or maintaining a position or argument.

In terms of morphology, sostener is irregular in the preterite. The full preterite conjugation is sostuve, sostuviste, sostuvo, sostuvimos, sostuvisteis, sostuvieron. The form sostuvo corresponds to él/ella/usted in the past tense. The word is typically pronounced so-STU-vo, with the final vowel sounding clearly; in many dialects the v is realized as a soft [β] between vowels.

Usage can be literal or figurative. Examples include: Él sostuvo la puerta para que no se cerrara (he held the door open). La evidencia sostuvo su versión (the evidence supported his version). Ella sostuvo una postura firme durante la discusión (she maintained a firm stance during the discussion). Sostuvo también puede expresar el mantenimiento o la defensa de una idea, un argumento o una posición.

Etymology and related forms: sostuvo derives from sostener, a verb whose meaning encompasses to hold up, to support, or to maintain. It comes from Latin sustinere, with nuances extended into modern Spanish to cover both physical and abstract support. Related verbs include sostener, as well as their other tense forms and synonyms like mantener, apoyar, or respaldar depending on context.