mantener

Senses

1. 1.

   to keep, to maintain

   to preserve something in a particular state or condition

2. 2.

   to support, to sustain

   to provide someone with food, money, or other necessities

3. 3.

   to hold, to keep up

   to maintain a position, distance, or attitude

4. 4.

   to assert, to claim

   to insist on the truth or validity of something

Examples

• "Es importante mantener una buena comunicación con tus amigos."

  It's important to maintain good communication with your friends.

• "Ella trabaja para mantener a su familia."

  She works to support her family.

• "Debes mantener la distancia de seguridad mientras conduces."

  You should keep a safe distance while driving.

Usage

Mantener is one of the most common Spanish verbs. It is regular in most tenses but has an irregular stem in the present tense (mantengo). Often used with prepositions like "mantener a" (to support) and "mantener en" (to keep in). Avoid confusing with "sostener" (to hold up physically).