What does maintenir in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word maintenir in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use maintenir in French.

The word maintenir in French means keep, hold, hold, keep, keep, maintain, go ahead with, stick to, maintain, stay, hold up, keep going, maintain, maintain the suspense, stay on course, hold your course, keep afloat, keep up to date, maintain, keep alive, hold 's head under, hold 's head under the water, make 's life difficult, keep your finger on the button, sustain the suspense. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word maintenir

keep, hold

verbe transitif (tenir fixe)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Des cadenas maintiennent les portes fermées.
Padlocks hold the doors closed.

hold

verbe transitif (immobiliser)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Le gendarme maintenait fermement le voleur. Le lutteur a maintenu son adversaire au sol quelques secondes.
The wrestler held his opponent down for a few seconds.

keep

verbe transitif (garder une position)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
La suspecte a maintenu son regard fixe pendant tout l'interrogatoire.
The suspect kept her blank expression throughout the interrogation.

keep, maintain

verbe transitif (conserver, faire durer) (preserve)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Sophie fait tout pour maintenir l'harmonie entre ses enfants. // Le gouvernement a pour mission de maintenir la paix sociale.
Sophie does all she can to keep the peace between her children. // The government's job is to keep the peace in society.

go ahead with

verbe transitif (ne pas annuler)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Le groupe a maintenu son concert malgré l'absence de son batteur. // Est-ce que vous savez si l'événement est maintenu malgré la pluie ?
Do you know if the event is still on, despite the rain?

stick to

verbe transitif (affirmer encore) (informal)

(phrasal verb, transitive, inseparable: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning, not divisible--for example,"go with" [=combine nicely]: "Those red shoes don't go with my dress." NOT [S]"Those red shoes don't go my dress with."[/S])
Le suspect a maintenu sa version des faits.

maintain

(affirmer encore) (affirm)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Je maintiens que Robin n'est pas venu ce jour-là.
I maintain that Robin didn't come that day.

stay

verbe pronominal (conserver le même état)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Le temps a l'air de se maintenir, nous allons pouvoir nous promener.
The weather seems to be holding, so we will be able to go for a walk.

hold up

verbe pronominal (santé, monnaie : être stable) (figurative)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Son état de santé se maintient, mais il n'y a pas d'amélioration.
His condition is stable, but there is no improvement.

keep going

verbe pronominal (politique : ne pas abandonner)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Malgré son score, ce député s'est maintenu au second tour.
Despite his results, the MP kept going in the second round.

maintain

verbe transitif (garder en état de fonctionnement)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Les bons ouvriers maintiennent leurs outils.
Good workmen maintain their tools.

maintain the suspense

locution verbale (ne pas donner le dénouement trop tôt)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

stay on course, hold your course

locution verbale (ne pas dévier)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

keep afloat

locution verbale (éviter de justesse les ennuis) (figurative)

Le jeune entrepreneur a du mal à maintenir son entreprise à flot.

keep up to date

locution verbale (installer les dernières versions)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

maintain

locution verbale (entretenir)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

keep alive

verbe transitif (fait de laisser artificiellement en vie)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

hold 's head under, hold 's head under the water

locution verbale (noyer [qqn])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Le meurtrier maintint la tête sous l'eau à sa victime pendant 3 minutes.

make 's life difficult

locution verbale (figuré (aggraver la situation de [qqn])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Si tu lui ajoutes encore des tâches, tu vas lui maintenir la tête sous l'eau !

keep your finger on the button

locution verbale (garder le doigt sur le bouton)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Pour appeler le service de maintenance de l'ascenseur, maintenez le bouton appuyé pendant trois secondes.

sustain the suspense

locution verbale (entretenir le doute d'une intrigue)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of maintenir in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.