maintenir
to maintainIrregularਇਹ ਕਿਰਿਆ ਨਿਯਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਮੰਨਦੀ — ਹਰ ਰੂਪ ਵੱਖਰਾ ਯਾਦ ਕਰਨਾ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
| Person | Presentnow, habits | Passé composécompleted past | Imparfaitongoing past | Futur procheabout to | Futur simplewill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | maintienssounds the same as another form in this tense | ai maintenu | maintenaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vais maintenir | maintiendraisounds the same as another form in this tense |
| tu | maintienssounds the same as another form in this tense | as maintenusounds the same as another form in this tense | maintenaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vas maintenirsounds the same as another form in this tense | maintiendrassounds the same as another form in this tense |
| il/elle | maintientsounds the same as another form in this tense | a maintenusounds the same as another form in this tense | maintenaitsounds the same as another form in this tense | va maintenirsounds the same as another form in this tense | maintiendrasounds the same as another form in this tense |
| nous | maintenons | avons maintenu | maintenions | allons maintenir | maintiendronssounds the same as another form in this tense |
| vous | maintenez | avez maintenu | mainteniez | allez maintenir | maintiendrezsounds the same as another form in this tense |
| ils/elles | maintiennent | ont maintenu | maintenaientsounds the same as another form in this tense | vont maintenir | maintiendrontsounds the same as another form in this tense |
Now, and habits. maintiens covers both "I maintain" and "I am maintaining" — French has no separate continuous form.
A completed past action. avoir conjugates and maintenu does not — ai maintenu.
An ongoing or habitual past. Built on the nous-present stem, so maintenons gives you maintenais.
About to happen. aller conjugates; maintenir never moves — the easier future to produce under pressure.
Will happen. Built on maintiendr- — not the infinitive maintenir. The conditional reuses this stem.
Three more forms worth knowing
Not among the five TEF/TCF-scored tenses above, but common past A1–A2.
Passé récentjust happened
| je | viens de maintenir |
|---|---|
| tu | viens de maintenir |
| il/elle | vient de maintenir |
| nous | venons de maintenir |
| vous | venez de maintenir |
| ils/elles | viennent de maintenir |
Impératifcommands — no je/il/ils form
| tu | maintiens |
|---|---|
| nous | maintenons |
| vous | maintenez |
Gérondifwhile doing — one invariant form
en maintenant
What this table tells you about maintenir
The past participle is maintenu, and it takes avoir in the passé composé — so it never changes shape, whoever the subject is. No agreement to remember here.
The futur simple is built on maintiendr-, which is not the infinitive maintenir. This stem has to be learned, and it is the same one the conditional uses later.
In the present, je, tu and il/elle are one sound: maintiens, maintient — indistinguishable spoken. Only nous, vous and ils/elles carry an audible ending.
The imparfait is built on the nous-present stem, so once you know maintenons you already know maintenais, maintenait and maintenaient. Futur proche keeps maintenir untouched.
Worth knowing about maintenir
Transitive maintenir means 'to maintain' or 'to uphold' (e.g., maintenir l'ordre, to maintain order). The reflexive se maintenir means 'to hold one's position' and conveys sustained effort or stability.
The stem alternates between -tien- (all singular present forms maintiens, maintient; 3rd plural maintiennent; and throughout the future maintiendrai, maintiendra) and -ten- (1st and 2nd plural present maintenons, maintenez; and throughout the imparfait maintenais, maintenait). This alternation is inherited from the tenir family.
Je maintiens cette règle.
I uphold this rule.
ਮੈਂ ਇਸ ਨਿਯਮ ਨੂੰ ਬਣਾਈ ਰੱਖਦਾ ਹਾਂ।