Manter (To Keep/Maintain) — Full Conjugation

Manter is one of those verbs that looks intimidating until you notice a small but decisive fact: it is a compound of the prefix man- plus the verb ter. Once you see this, every irregularity falls into place. Manter conjugates exactly like ter — same stem changes, same circumflexes, same preterite — simply with man- stuck on the front. The same is true for its siblings conter (to contain), obter (to obtain), reter (to retain), deter (to detain), entreter (to entertain), and suster (to sustain). Learn one, you have learned all of them.

The verb means to keep or to maintain — a promise, a pace, a conversation, a friendship, a temperature, a position. With a reflexive pronoun, manter-se means to stay or to remain (in shape, in touch, calm, silent).

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Present indicative — presente do indicativo

Use this tense for current actions, habits, and general truths. Note the distinctive stem changes and the contrast between singular mantém (one person) and plural mantêm (more than one).

The eu form is mantenho — the same -nho ending you see in tenho (from ter) and venho (from vir). The accents in manténs, mantém, mantêm are not decorative: they mark which form you mean. In handwriting and casual typing learners routinely drop them, but the result is simply wrong.

Imperfect indicative — pretérito imperfeito

Use this tense for past habits, background descriptions, and ongoing actions in the past.

Preterite indicative — pretérito perfeito simples

Use this tense for completed past actions. This is the form where learners most often slip: the third-person singular is manteve (he/she kept), not mantive — which is the first-person singular form.

Pluperfect indicative, simple — pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples

A literary tense, mainly found in written prose. In speech, use the compound pluperfect below.

Pluperfect indicative, compound — pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto

The everyday way to say had kept. Formed with the imperfect of ter plus the past participle mantido.

Present perfect — pretérito perfeito composto

Do not let the name mislead you. This tense describes an action that has been happening repeatedly or continuously up to now — not a one-off completed action.

Simple future — futuro do indicativo simples

Used in writing and formal speech. Everyday speech often prefers ir + infinitive (vou manter).

Future perfect — futuro perfeito

Describes an action that will have been completed by some future moment.

Conditional — condicional (futuro do pretérito)

Expresses hypothetical actions or polite requests.

Conditional perfect — condicional composto

Describes hypothetical past actions.

Present subjunctive — presente do conjuntivo

Built from the eu form of the present indicative (mantenho → drop the -o, add -a endings).

Imperfect subjunctive — imperfeito do conjuntivo

Built from the third-person plural preterite (mantiveram → mantive- + endings).

Future subjunctive — futuro do conjuntivo

A living tense in Portuguese, used after se, quando, enquanto, and similar conjunctions referring to future possibilities.

Present perfect subjunctive — pretérito perfeito do conjuntivo

Pluperfect subjunctive — pretérito mais-que-perfeito do conjuntivo

Future perfect subjunctive — futuro perfeito do conjuntivo

Imperative — imperativo

Affirmative:

Negative (identical to the present subjunctive with não):

The tu affirmative mantém is identical to the third-person singular present — that is normal for the Portuguese imperative in general (compare abre, come, sobe). It keeps its accent.

Personal infinitive — infinitivo pessoal

Notice that the personal infinitive forms are manter / manteres / manter / mantermos / manterem — built on the infinitive stem manter-, not on the preterite stem. These forms differ from the future subjunctive (which uses mantiver-), since manter is irregular.

Compound personal infinitive — infinitivo pessoal composto

Usage notes

Manter takes a direct object: you keep something. Unlike in English, there is no preposition between the verb and the thing being kept — manter a promessa (not manter com/de).

• manter a promessa — to keep a promise
• manter a palavra — to keep one's word
• manter o ritmo — to keep the pace
• manter a calma — to keep calm
• manter o contacto / manter-se em contacto — to stay in touch
• manter a distância — to keep a distance
• manter segredo — to keep a secret
• manter-se em forma — to stay in shape
• manter-se firme — to stand firm
• manter-se informado — to stay informed

The reflexive manter-se shifts the meaning from "keep (something)" to "remain (in a state)". It is especially common with adjectives and prepositional phrases: manter-se calmo, manter-se em silêncio, manter-se longe de problemas.

Example sentences in context

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

• Manter conjugates exactly like ter: same irregular stems, same circumflexes, same preterite. Learn ter and you have learned manter, conter, obter, reter, deter, and entreter.
• Watch the singular/plural contrast in the present indicative: mantém = he/she keeps (one person); mantêm = they keep (more than one). The accent is information, not decoration.
• The preterite first-person is mantive (I kept); the third-person singular is manteve (he/she kept). Do not confuse them.
• The past participle mantido is regular — unlike the participles of some related verbs.
• With a reflexive pronoun, manter-se shifts from "keep (something)" to "remain / stay (in a state)": manter-se em forma, manter-se calmo, manter-se informado.
• Manter takes a direct object. No preposition sits between the verb and the thing being kept.