Skip to content
fluentbyear

GERMAN VERB

behalten

to keep

  • #338 most used
  • Strong verb
  • Past participle: behalten

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Präsens · now, habits and facts

  1. ich I keep
  2. du you keep
  3. er, sie, es he/she keeps
  4. wir we keep
  5. ihr you all keep
  6. sie, Sie they keep

Simple past

Präteritum · the past of writing, and of sein, haben and the modals in speech

  1. ich I kept
  2. du you kept
  3. er, sie, es he/she kept
  4. wir we kept
  5. ihr you all kept
  6. sie, Sie they kept

Perfect

Perfekt · the past of speech: “habe gemacht”

  1. ich I have kept
  2. du you have kept
  3. er, sie, es he/she has kept
  4. wir we have kept
  5. ihr you all have kept
  6. sie, Sie they have kept

Future

Futur I · “werden”; in speech the present with “morgen” does the job

  1. ich I will keep
  2. du you will keep
  3. er, sie, es he/she will keep
  4. wir we will keep
  5. ihr you all will keep
  6. sie, Sie they will keep

Conditional

Konjunktiv II · “would”: “würde”, and “wäre”, “hätte”, “könnte”

  1. ich I would keep
  2. du you would keep
  3. er, sie, es he/she would keep
  4. wir we would keep
  5. ihr you all would keep
  6. sie, Sie they would keep

Imperative

Imperativ · requests and orders: du, ihr, Sie

  1. du keep!
  2. ihr keep! (all of you)
  3. Sie keep! (formal)

How to use behalten

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Ich behalte den Schlüssel bis morgen.

    I'll keep the key until tomorrow.

  2. Simple past

    Er behielt das Geheimnis für sich.

    He kept the secret to himself.

  3. Perfect

    Hast du die Quittung behalten?

    Did you keep the receipt?

  4. Future

    Ich werde das Buch noch eine Woche behalten.

    I'll keep the book another week.

  5. Conditional

    Ich würde die alten Fotos behalten.

    I would keep the old photos.

  6. Imperative

    Behalte das Buch, ich habe es schon gelesen.

    Keep the book, I've already read it.

Good to know

  • Behalten Sie das Wechselgeld is keep the change.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: strong verb.