Learn mantener conjugation in Condicional step by step with detailed explanations

Image of mantener conjugation in Condicional

mantener means: to maintain, to keep

In this lesson we are going to learn how to conjugate the verb mantener in the Condicional tense of the Indicativo mood. It means we will see step by step how to create the following conjugation:

yo	mantendría	I would have
tú	mantendrías	you would have
él/ella/usted	mantendría	he/she/it would have
nosotros/nosotras	mantendríamos	we would have
vosotros/vosotras	mantendríais	you would have
ellos/ellas/ustedes	mantendrían	they would have

This lesson is specifically about the mantener conjugation. For an overview of all the Simple Tenses conjugation have a look at our Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

You may also see this Video Presentation on how to conjugate verbs in Condicional. It’s embedded on the right, but using the above link you may see additional information on conjugation in this tense and explanation of exceptions and special cases.

How to translate Condicional to English

Note that the phrases in English in the third column of the above conjugation chart are not direct translations from Spanish to English. They are usually the closest general equivalents. The example differences are:

In Spanish, there is the form usted in the third person singular. But this person does not translate to the English third person singular. It translates to the so called formal you and uses the inflected form which is most often represented as he/she/it in English conjugation charts.
Similar situation happens in the third person plural, where ustedes translates to the English plural formal you but uses the form which corresponds to the they form in English.
Tenses are used differently in Spanish and English, so the actual translation should always take into account the context and focus on translating the meaning, not just words.
In both languages each verb may have multiple meanings and not every meaning translates directly to the other language. Here also, the context and focusing on the particular meaning helps to create the most accurate translation.

Step by step instructions

This verb conjugates exactly as tener with man- added in front of every form

Condicional belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of its inflected forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in the Spanish language, where each conjugated verb form consists of two words.

The verb mantener has an irregular conjugation in the Condicional tense of the Indicativo mood.

The basis for this conjugation is an irregular stem mantendr, but all the endings stay the same as in the regular conjugation

Use the irregular stem mantendr in each person

Next, add to this irregular stem the endings specific to each person

endings condicional how to conjugate spanish verbs

In this tense we use the exact same endings in each of the three conjugation groups -ar, -er, -ir. Analyze the image showing all six endings. Note both the shapes and colors of the letters. It will help you find patterns and make it easier to remember these endings.

Also note that in verb groups -er and -ir all six endings in both Pretéterito Imperfecto and Condicional tenses are identical. Good tip to remember! The only difference is that the Condicional uses the entire infinitive as the stem.

Add the regular ending -ía for the first person singular in order to get mantendría:

yo mantendría

Like previously add the regular ending -ías for the second person singular in order to get mantendrías:

tú mantendrías

One more time add the regular ending -ía for the third person singular in order to get mantendría:

él mantendría
ella mantendría
usted mantendría

And one more time add the regular ending -íamos for the first person plural in order to get mantendríamos:

nosotros mantendríamos
nosotras mantendríamos

Similarly add the regular ending -íais for the second person plural in order to get mantendríais:

vosotros mantendríais
vosotras mantendríais

Again add the regular ending -ían for the third person plural in order to get mantendrían:

ellos mantendrían
ellas mantendrían
ustedes mantendrían

That’s it! The conjugation is now done. But don’t end your session yet – it’s important to repeat and practice the material in order to remember it. Check below for some links.

Next Steps

To practice this conjugation and test your skills try this Conjugation Exercise or the Memory Game
To see other conjugation lessons for this verb choose another tense:
For exercises and examples related to mantener visit our Exercise section
To see conjugation charts in all tenses for mantener visit the Conjugator
To explore other learning materials visit the Study section