Maintenir Conjugation French: Full Verb Charts, Rules, & Examples

Maintenir Conjugation French: Full Verb Charts, Rules, & Examples

Mastering maintenir conjugation in French is a major milestone for intermediate and advanced learners. The verb maintenir means "to maintain", "to uphold", "to keep up", or "to hold steady". Whether you are discussing corporate strategy, keeping an opinion, or describing personal routines, this verb appears everywhere in spoken and written French.

Because maintenir is an irregular 3rd-group verb derived from tenir (to hold), learning its pattern also unlocks numerous related verbs such as soutenir (to support), obtenir (to obtain), and retenir (to remember/retain).

Here is your comprehensive reference guide to conjugating maintenir across all major French tenses.

Core Stem Changes You Must Know

• maintien-: Used in singular forms of the present tense (je maintiens).
• mainten-: The default stem for the plural present, imperfect, and past participle (nous maintenons, maintenu).
• maintiendr-: The irregular future and conditional base (je maintiendrai).
• maintienne-: The subjunctive base for singular forms and the 3rd person plural (qu'ils maintiennent).

Before diving into tables, notice how the base stem shifts depending on the tense:

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1. Present Tense (Présent de l'indicatif)

The present tense describes ongoing actions, habitual states, and timeless truths.

Key takeaway: Notice the -t ending on il maintient. Unlike regular -er verbs that take -e, 3rd group verbs like maintenir adopt an -s, -s, -t pattern for singular subjects.

2. Compound Past (Passé Composé)

Maintenir uses the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle maintenu.

• J'ai maintenu (I maintained / I have maintained)
• Tu as maintenu
• Il / Elle / On a maintenu
• Nous avons maintenu
• Vous avez maintenu
• Ils / Elles ont maintenu

Example : Le médecin a maintenu son diagnostic initial. (The doctor maintained his initial diagnosis.)

3. Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)

Use the imperfect to describe continuous or repeated actions in the past.

• Je maintenais (I was maintaining / I used to maintain)
• Tu maintenais
• Il / Elle / On maintenait
• Nous maintenions
• Vous mainteniez
• Ils / Elles maintenaient

Example : Durant la crise, nous maintenions le dialogue quotidien. (During the crisis, we maintained daily dialogue.)

4. Simple Future (Futur Simple)

The future stem is maintiendr- combined with standard future endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont).

• Je maintiendrai (I will maintain)
• Tu maintiendras
• Il / Elle / On maintiendra
• Nous maintiendrons
• Vous maintiendrez
• Ils / Elles maintiendront

Example : Le musée maintiendra ses portes ouvertes cet été. (The museum will keep its doors open this summer.)

5. Conditional Present (Conditionnel Présent)

Formed using the future stem maintiendr- plus the imperfect endings.

• Je maintiendrais (I would maintain)
• Tu maintiendrais
• Il / Elle / On maintiendrait
• Nous maintiendrions
• Vous maintiendriez
• Ils / Elles maintiendraient

Example : À votre place, je maintiendrais cette offre avantageuse. (In your place, I would maintain this advantageous offer.)

6. Subjunctive Present (Subjonctif Présent)

The subjunctive is essential after expressions of necessity, doubt, or subjective feelings.

• Que je maintienne
• Que tu maintiennes
• Qu'il / elle / on maintienne
• Que nous maintenions
• Que vous mainteniez
• Qu'ils / elles maintiennent

Example : Il faut absolument que nous maintenions notre concentration. (It is imperative that we maintain our focus.)

7. Imperative (Impératif)

Used for commands and direct instructions.

• Maintiens (Maintain! - tu)
• Maintenons (Let's maintain! - nous)
• Maintenez (Maintain! - vous)

Example : Maintenez une vitesse constante sur l'autoroute. (Maintain a constant speed on the highway.)

The Reflexive Form: « Se Maintenir »

• Les prix vont se maintenir. (Prices are going to stay steady.)
• Elle s'est maintenue en excellente forme physique. (She stayed in top physical shape.)

When made reflexive, se maintenir takes the auxiliary être in compound tenses and conveys the idea of staying steady or enduring:

Practical Tips to Avoid Errors

1. Double 'n' rule: Remember to double the consonant n before silent endings: ils maintiennent, que je maintienne.

2. Future vs. Conditional pronunciation: In standard French, je maintiendrai ends with a closed /e/ sound, whereas je maintiendrais ends with an open /ɛ/ sound.

3. Family transfer: If you ever hesitate on maintenir, substitute venir or tenir in your mind. Their structures match 100%.

With these tables and contextual examples, your understanding of maintenir conjugation in French is complete and ready for daily application.