Skip to content
French · Verb · #89 most common

maintenir

to maintain


Irregular3rd ending

In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.

1.

Présent

Current actions, habits, and general truths.

jemaintiens
tumaintiens
il/ellemaintient
nousmaintenons
vousmaintenez
ils/ellesmaintiennent

Je maintiens ma promesse.

I maintain my promise.

Nous maintenons la tradition familiale.

We maintain the family tradition.

2.

Passé Composé

Completed past actions with present relevance.

jeai maintenu
tuas maintenu
il/ellea maintenu
nousavons maintenu
vousavez maintenu
ils/ellesont maintenu

Elle a maintenu son calme pendant la réunion.

She maintained her composure during the meeting.

Ils ont maintenu le projet malgré les difficultés.

They maintained the project despite the difficulties.

3.

Imparfait

Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.

jemaintenais
tumaintenais
il/ellemaintenait
nousmaintenions
vousmainteniez
ils/ellesmaintenaient

Je maintenais toujours un contact avec mes amis.

I was always maintaining contact with my friends.

Nous maintenions notre jardin en bon état.

We were maintaining our garden in good condition.

4.

Futur Simple

Future events, promises, and formal predictions.

jemaintiendrai
tumaintendras
il/ellemaintiendra
nousmaintiendrons
vousmaintendrez
ils/ellesmaintiendront

Il maintiendra son engagement envers l'équipe.

He will maintain his commitment to the team.

Nous maintiendrons la qualité de nos services.

We will maintain the quality of our services.

5.

Conditionnel Présent

Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.

jemaintendrais
tumaintendrais
il/ellemaintendrait
nousmaintendrions
vousmaintendriez
ils/ellesmaintendraient

Je maintiendrais mes opinions même sous pression.

I would maintain my opinions even under pressure.

Ils maintiendraient la paix si cela dépendait d'eux.

They would maintain peace if it were up to them.

6.

Subjonctif Présent

Doubt, desire, necessity, and emotion in subordinate clauses.

jemaintienne
tumaintiennes
il/ellemaintienne
nousmaintenions
vousmainteniez
ils/ellesmaintiennent

Il faut que je maintienne mes études.

It is necessary that I maintain my studies.

Il est important que nous maintenions la communication.

It is important that we maintain communication.

7.

Plus-que-parfait

Actions completed before another past action.

jeavais maintenu
tuavais maintenu
il/elleavait maintenu
nousavions maintenu
vousaviez maintenu
ils/ellesavaient maintenu

Avant de partir, j'avais maintenu toutes mes promesses.

Before leaving, I had maintained all my promises.

Ils avaient maintenu le secret jusqu'à la fin.

They had maintained the secret until the end.

"maintenir" in other languages

Related verbs

Common questions
Is "maintenir" regular or irregular in French?
"maintenir" is an irregular French verb. It does not follow the standard 3rd conjugation pattern and must be memorized.
How do you conjugate "maintenir" in the present tense?
In the Présent, "maintenir" conjugates as: maintiens, maintiens, maintenons, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "maintenir" in French?
In the Passé Composé, "maintenir" conjugates as: ai maintenu, as maintenu, avons maintenu, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "maintenir" in French?
"maintenir" (to maintain) is one of the most commonly used verbs in French.