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Definition 2024
maintenir
maintenir
French
Verb
maintenir
- to maintain
- to stick to
- (reflexive, se maintenir, of the weather) to stay fair
- (reflexive, se maintenir) to persist
- (reflexive, se maintenir) to keep up
Conjugation
This is a verb in a group of -ir verbs. All verbs ending in -tenir, such as contenir and détenir, are conjugated this way.
Conjugation of maintenir (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | maintenir | avoir maintenu | |||||
| gerund | en maintenant | en ayant maintenu | |||||
| present participle | maintenant /mɛ̃t.nɑ̃/ |
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| past participle | maintenu /mɛ̃t.ny/ |
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| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il | nous | vous | ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | maintiens /mɛ̃.tjɛ̃/ |
maintiens /mɛ̃.tjɛ̃/ |
maintient /mɛ̃.tjɛ̃/ |
maintenons /mɛ̃t.nɔ̃/ |
maintenez /mɛ̃t.ne/ |
maintiennent /mɛ̃.sjɛn/ |
| imperfect | maintenais /mɛ̃t.nɛ/ |
maintenais /mɛ̃t.nɛ/ |
maintenait /mɛ̃t.nɛ/ |
maintenions /mɛ̃.tə.njɔ̃/ |
mainteniez /mɛ̃.tə.nje/ |
maintenaient /mɛ̃t.nɛ/ |
|
| past historic1 | maintins /mɛ̃.tɛ̃/ |
maintins /mɛ̃.tɛ̃/ |
maintint /mɛ̃.tɛ̃/ |
maintînmes /mɛ̃.tɛ̃m/ |
maintîntes /mɛ̃.tɛ̃t/ |
maintinrent /mɛ̃.tɛ̃ʁ/ |
|
| future | maintiendrai /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁe/ |
maintiendras /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁa/ |
maintiendra /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁa/ |
maintiendrons /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁɔ̃/ |
maintiendrez /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁe/ |
maintiendront /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁɔ̃/ |
|
| conditional | maintiendrais /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁɛ/ |
maintiendrais /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁɛ/ |
maintiendrait /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁɛ/ |
maintiendrions /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁi.jɔ̃/ |
maintiendriez /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁi.je/ |
maintiendraient /mɛ̃.sjɛ̃.dʁɛ/ |
|
| compound tenses |
present perfect | Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| past anterior1 | Use the past historic tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il | que nous | que vous | qu’ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | maintienne /mɛ̃.sjɛn/ |
maintiennes /mɛ̃.sjɛn/ |
maintienne /mɛ̃.sjɛn/ |
maintenions /mɛ̃.tə.njɔ̃/ |
mainteniez /mɛ̃.tə.nje/ |
maintiennent /mɛ̃.sjɛn/ |
| imperfect1 |
maintinsse /mɛ̃.tɛ̃s/ |
maintinsses /mɛ̃.tɛ̃s/ |
maintînt /mɛ̃.tɛ̃/ |
maintinssions /mɛ̃.tɛ̃.sjɔ̃/ |
maintinssiez /mɛ̃.tɛ̃.sje/ |
maintinssent /mɛ̃.tɛ̃s/ |
|
| compound tenses |
past | Use the present subjunctive tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect1 | Use the imperfect subjunctive tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nous | vous | – | |
| — | maintiens /mɛ̃.tjɛ̃/ |
— | maintenons /mɛ̃t.nɔ̃/ |
maintenez /mɛ̃t.ne/ |
— | ||
| 1literary tenses | |||||||
Related terms
Derived terms
Old French
Etymology
main + tenir, calque of Latin manus teneō or from Vulgar Latin, Late Latin manūteneō, manūtenēre (“I support”).
Verb
maintenir
- to maintain (to keep the same)
Conjugation
This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has a stressed present stem maintien distinct from the unstressed stem mainten, as well as other irregularities. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.
Conjugation of maintenir (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | maintenir | avoir maintenu | |||||
| gerund | en maintenant | Use the gerund of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| present participle | maintenant | ||||||
| past participle | maintenu | ||||||
| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | jo | tu | il | nos | vos | il | |
| simple tenses |
present | maintieng, maintien | maintiens | maintient | maintenons | maintenez | maintienent |
| imperfect | maintenoie, mainteneie | maintenoies, mainteneies | maintenoit, mainteneit | mainteniiens, mainteniens | mainteniiez, mainteniez | maintenoient, mainteneient | |
| preterite | maintin | maintenis | maintint | maintenimes | maintenistes | maintindrent, maintinrent | |
| future | maintendrai | maintendras | maintendra | maintendrons | maintendroiz, maintendreiz, maintendrez | maintendront | |
| conditional | maintendroie, maintendreie | maintendroies, maintendreies | maintendroit, maintendreit | maintendriiens, maintendriens | maintendriiez, maintendriez | maintendroient, maintendreient | |
| compound tenses |
present perfect | Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| past anterior | Use the preterite tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que jo | que tu | qu’il | que nos | que vos | qu’il | |
| simple tenses |
present | maintiegne | maintiegnes | maintiegne | maintiegniens, maintiegnons | maintiegniez | maintiegnent |
| imperfect | maintenisse | maintenisses | maintenist | maintenissons, maintenissiens | maintenissoiz, maintenissez, maintenissiez | maintenissent | |
| compound tenses |
past | Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nos | vos | – | |
| — | maintien | — | maintenons | maintenez | — | ||
Descendants
- English: to maintain
- French: maintenir