Mantenere: Full Conjugation | Italian Grammar

Mantenere (to maintain, to keep, to support) is one of the most versatile verbs in the tenere family. It covers the full spectrum of "keeping something in place" — from keeping a promise (mantenere una promessa) to staying calm (mantenere la calma), from supporting a family financially (mantenere la famiglia) to staying in shape (mantenersi in forma). It is also the gateway to a particularly useful piece of Italian conversational grammar: the reflexive mantenersi, which shifts meaning from "maintain" to "support oneself" or "stay."

Mantenere belongs to the tenere family and inherits its full set of irregularities — -ng- in the 1sg/3pl present, -ie- diphthong in the stressed singulars, -nn- gemination in the passato remoto, contracted -rr- future, regular -nuto participle. If you already know tenere and ottenere, this paradigm is free.

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The tenere family pattern, applied to mantenere: (1) -ng- in the 1sg/3pl present (mantengo, mantengono); (2) e → ie diphthong in the stressed singulars (mantieni, mantiene); (3) -nn- gemination in the 1sg/3sg/3pl passato remoto (mantenni, mantenne, mantennero); (4) contracted -rr- in the future and conditional (manterrò, manterrei); (5) regular -nuto participle (mantenuto).

Indicativo presente

Person	Form
io	mantengo
tu	mantieni
lui / lei / Lei	mantiene
noi	manteniamo
voi	mantenete
loro	mantengono

The same two irregularities as tenere: -g- appears only in the 1sg and 3pl (where the ending starts with -o), and e → ie hits the stressed singular forms only. The noi and voi forms — manteniamo, mantenete — keep the plain e because the stress falls on the ending, not the stem. This is the same stress-driven logic that governs every tenere-family verb.

Mantengo i contatti con i miei amici del liceo nonostante gli anni.

I keep in touch with my high-school friends despite the years.

Come mantieni la calma in situazioni così stressanti?

How do you stay calm in such stressful situations?

Mio padre mantiene ancora me e mia sorella, anche se siamo ormai grandi.

My father still supports me and my sister, even though we're grown up now.

Manteniamo le distanze, per favore.

Let's keep our distance, please.

Imperfetto

Person	Form
io	mantenevo
tu	mantenevi
lui / lei / Lei	manteneva
noi	mantenevamo
voi	mantenevate
loro	mantenevano

Fully regular — built on the infinitive stem manten- with the standard -ere imperfect endings. None of the present-tense irregularities carry over. Use it for habitual or sustained past actions (manteneva sempre la promessa fatta) or for descriptions of a past role or state (sua madre manteneva l'intera famiglia).

Per anni mio nonno manteneva la famiglia con un solo stipendio da operaio.

For years my grandfather supported the family on a single factory worker's salary.

Da giovane manteneva sempre la calma, anche nelle peggiori discussioni.

When she was young, she always kept her cool, even in the worst arguments.

Passato remoto

Person	Form
io	mantenni
tu	mantenesti
lui / lei / Lei	mantenne
noi	mantenemmo
voi	manteneste
loro	mantennero

The classic Italian "1-3-3" passato remoto with double -nn- gemination — exactly parallel to tenni, tenne, tennero. The 1sg, 3sg, and 3pl take the contracted manten- stem with geminated nn; the 2sg, 1pl, and 2pl keep the simple manten- stem with regular endings.

The geminated nn is the diagnostic — the single-n spelling is a constant beginner trap. Italian editors and proofreaders catch this one routinely.

Cavour mantenne la promessa fatta a Vittorio Emanuele e a Garibaldi.

Cavour kept the promise he had made to Victor Emmanuel and to Garibaldi.

Per tutta la guerra mantennero un atteggiamento di resistenza passiva.

Throughout the war they maintained an attitude of passive resistance.

Futuro semplice

Person	Form
io	manterrò
tu	manterrai
lui / lei / Lei	manterrà
noi	manterremo
voi	manterrete
loro	manterranno

Note the double -rr-: the contracted future stem manterr- is parallel to terrò (tenere), otterrò (ottenere), verrò (venire). Do not write mantenerò — that is a non-form. Historically, manten[e]rò → manterrò, with the unstressed vowel dropping out and the consonants assimilating. The accent on manterrò / manterrà is obligatory.

Ti prometto che manterrò la promessa, costi quel che costi.

I promise I'll keep my word, whatever it costs.

Manterremo i prezzi invariati per tutto il prossimo anno.

We'll keep prices unchanged for the whole of next year.

Condizionale presente

Person	Form
io	manterrei
tu	manterresti
lui / lei / Lei	manterrebbe
noi	manterremmo
voi	manterreste
loro	manterrebbero

Same manterr- stem as the future. The trap pair: manterremmo (conditional, double m) vs manterremo (future, single m) — one missing letter changes "we would maintain" into "we will maintain."

Manterrei la calma più facilmente se non urlassi tu per primo.

I'd keep my cool more easily if you didn't shout first.

Senza un secondo stipendio non manterremmo questo tenore di vita.

Without a second income we wouldn't keep up this standard of living.

Congiuntivo presente

Person	Form
(che) io	mantenga
(che) tu	mantenga
(che) lui / lei	mantenga
(che) noi	manteniamo
(che) voi	manteniate
(che) loro	mantengano

Built from the 1sg present indicative stem (manteng-) plus the regular -ere subjunctive endings. The three singular forms collapse into mantenga; noi and voi revert to the plain manten- stem.

Voglio che mantenga il segreto, almeno per un po'.

I want him to keep the secret, at least for a while.

È fondamentale che il governo mantenga gli impegni presi.

It is essential that the government keep the commitments it made.

Congiuntivo imperfetto

Person	Form
(che) io	mantenessi
(che) tu	mantenessi
(che) lui / lei	mantenesse
(che) noi	mantenessimo
(che) voi	manteneste
(che) loro	mantenessero

Fully regular on the manten- stem. Used in hypotheticals (se mantenessi la calma, nessuno ti urlerebbe contro) and in past-tense subjunctive contexts (pensavo che mantenesse la promessa).

Se mantenessimo i contatti più spesso, ci sentiremmo meno soli.

If we kept in touch more often, we'd feel less alone.

Imperativo

Person	Form
tu	mantieni
Lei (formal)	mantenga
noi	manteniamo
voi	mantenete
loro (formal pl.)	mantengano

The informal tu form mantieni is heard constantly in everyday speech: mantieni la calma!, mantieni la promessa!, mantieni la rotta! The formal Lei form mantenga appears in service and bureaucratic contexts: Mantenga la sua posizione, signora ("Stay in your place, ma'am").

Mantieni la calma, ti prego — andrà tutto bene.

Keep calm, please — everything will be fine.

Manteniamo le distanze, è solo una discussione.

Let's keep our distance, it's just an argument.

Forme non finite

Form	Italian
Infinito presente	mantenere
Infinito passato	aver(e) mantenuto
Gerundio presente	mantenendo
Gerundio passato	avendo mantenuto
Participio passato	mantenuto

The participle mantenuto is regular — the expected -uto for an -ere verb. As an adjective, mantenuto agrees normally: una promessa mantenuta ("a promise kept"), gli impegni mantenuti ("the commitments kept"). There is also a noun usage — un mantenuto / una mantenuta refers, often dismissively, to someone who is financially supported by another (typically by a partner).

Avendo mantenuto la parola, si è guadagnato il rispetto di tutti.

Having kept his word, he earned everyone's respect.

Compound tenses

Mantenere takes avere as its auxiliary in all compound tenses (it is transitive). The participle does not agree with the subject but agrees with a preceding direct-object pronoun.

Tense	io	noi
Passato prossimo	ho mantenuto	abbiamo mantenuto
Trapassato prossimo	avevo mantenuto	avevamo mantenuto
Trapassato remoto	ebbi mantenuto	avemmo mantenuto
Futuro anteriore	avrò mantenuto	avremo mantenuto
Condizionale passato	avrei mantenuto	avremmo mantenuto
Congiuntivo passato	abbia mantenuto	abbiamo mantenuto
Congiuntivo trapassato	avessi mantenuto	avessimo mantenuto

Abbiamo mantenuto la promessa che ti avevamo fatto a Natale.

We kept the promise we had made you at Christmas.

La promessa? L'ho mantenuta, anche se mi è costata caro.

The promise? I kept it, even though it cost me dearly.

In the second example, mantenuta agrees with the preceding direct-object pronoun la (referring to la promessa, feminine singular).

Reflexive: mantenersi

The reflexive mantenersi is one of the most useful pieces of Italian everyday vocabulary, because it shifts the meaning of mantenere in two distinct directions, both heavily used:

(1) To support oneself financially. The reflexive marks that the subject is the one being supported as well as doing the supporting:

Mi mantengo studiando: do ripetizioni di matematica.

I support myself by studying: I tutor maths.

Si è mantenuto agli studi facendo il cameriere.

He put himself through college working as a waiter.

(2) To stay (in a state, in shape). Here mantenersi functions as a near-synonym of rimanere but with the implication of active maintenance — you don't just happen to be in this state, you are working to keep yourself there:

A settant'anni si mantiene ancora in ottima forma.

At seventy he's still in great shape.

Cerca di mantenerti calma quando lo dirai a tua madre.

Try to stay calm when you tell your mother.

In compound tenses, mantenersi takes essere (as all reflexives do), and the participle agrees with the subject: mi sono mantenuta in forma (female speaker), si sono mantenuti calmi (masc. plural).

Mantenere vs tenere vs conservare

These three verbs are close in meaning but not interchangeable. The distinctions are subtle but real:

Tenere — to hold, generally in the moment. Tieni il mio caffè un secondo ("hold my coffee for a second"). Physical, immediate, often momentary.
Mantenere — to keep / maintain over time, with effort. Mantieni la promessa ("keep your promise"). Implies sustained activity, conscious effort.
Conservare — to preserve / store. Conserva il pane in un sacchetto ("keep the bread in a bag"). Implies protection from spoilage or change, often with a physical object.

The English verb to keep covers all three, which is precisely why English speakers struggle here. As a rule of thumb: if the action is momentary, use tenere; if it requires ongoing effort, use mantenere; if it is about preservation from spoilage, use conservare.

Tieni il bambino mentre prendo le chiavi.

Hold the baby while I get the keys. (momentary)

Mantieni il bambino caldo mentre lo cambi.

Keep the baby warm while you change him. (ongoing)

Conserva il latte in frigo.

Keep the milk in the fridge. (preservation)

Etymology

Mantenere comes from medieval Latin manūtenēre — literally "to hold by hand" (manū = "by hand," ablative of manus, + tenēre = "to hold"). The original sense was concrete: to grasp something firmly with your hand, to keep it under your control. From there it generalised to "to maintain," "to support," "to uphold." The same compound gave Old French maintenir and English maintain.

The hand-image still echoes faintly in the modern verb. When you mantieni una promessa, you are holding the promise as if in your hand; when you mantieni la calma, you are holding your calm against forces that would unsettle it.

Idioms and high-frequency collocations

Mantenere powers an enormous range of fixed expressions, many of them borrowed wholesale into civic, professional, and personal life:

mantenere una promessa / la parola — to keep a promise / one's word. Both phrasings are interchangeable.
mantenere la calma — to keep one's cool, stay calm.
mantenere i contatti (con) — to keep in touch (with).
mantenere la famiglia — to support the family (financially). This is the standard phrasing, much more common than sostenere la famiglia.
mantenere le distanze — to keep one's distance (literal or figurative).
mantenere la posizione — to hold one's position. Used militarily, professionally, and metaphorically.
mantenere la rotta — to stay on course.
mantenere il segreto — to keep a secret.
mantenersi in forma — to keep in shape. (Reflexive.)
mantenersi in vita — to stay alive, to keep oneself going. (Reflexive.)
a mantenimento di ... — for the maintenance of ... (formal, used in legal and administrative contexts: l'assegno a mantenimento dei figli = child support).

Lui mantiene sempre la parola data, anche quando gli costa.

He always keeps his word, even when it costs him.

Cerca di mantenere la calma, ti prego — non aiuta urlare.

Try to keep calm, please — shouting doesn't help.

Common mistakes

❌ Io manteno la promessa.

Incorrect — the 1sg requires the -g- insertion.

✅ Io mantengo la promessa.

Correct — mantengo, with -g-.

❌ Tu mantene la calma molto bene.

Incorrect — the 2sg needs the e → ie diphthong.

✅ Tu mantieni la calma molto bene.

Correct — mantieni, not mantene.

❌ Domani mantenerò i contatti.

Incorrect — the future stem is contracted to manterr-, not based on the infinitive.

✅ Domani manterrò i contatti.

Correct — manterrò with double r.

❌ Cavour mantenne la promessa con una mano.

Word-by-word translation issue — mantenere la promessa is correct, but 'with one hand' has to be 'con una sola mano' to make idiomatic sense.

✅ Cavour mantenne la promessa fino in fondo.

Correct and idiomatic — Cavour kept his promise to the end.

❌ Penso che lui mantiene la calma sempre.

Incorrect — penso che triggers the subjunctive.

✅ Penso che lui mantenga la calma sempre.

Correct — mantenga is the congiuntivo presente.

❌ Mi mantengo bene grazie alle ripetizioni.

Ambiguous in isolation — could mean 'I stay in good shape thanks to tutoring' or 'I support myself thanks to tutoring'. The intended meaning needs context.

✅ Mi mantengo agli studi grazie alle ripetizioni.

Correct and unambiguous — I support my studies thanks to tutoring.

Key takeaways

Mantenere inherits the entire tenere-family pattern:

-ng- in 1sg/3pl present (mantengo, mantengono).
e → ie diphthong in stressed singulars (mantieni, mantiene).
-nn- gemination in passato remoto (mantenni, mantenne, mantennero).
Contracted -rr- future and conditional (manterrò, manterrei).
Regular -nuto participle (mantenuto).

Three things that make mantenere its own verb beyond the family pattern:

The reflexive shift. Mantenersi means either "support oneself financially" or "stay (in shape, in a state)." Both are heavily used and need to be heard with context.
The financial-support sense. Mantenere la famiglia is the standard idiom for financially supporting one's family — this meaning is not optional in mantenere.
The keeping-promises sense. Mantenere una promessa / la parola is the only standard verb in this idiom. Tenere una promessa exists but feels less natural; conservare is wrong.

For the broader family, see tenere, ottenere, and appartenere. For the reflexive meaning shift, see intrinsic-meaning shifts in reflexive verbs.

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