Verbs that end in ‑uir, like construir, incluir or destruir are special in the present. Add a y to all forms except nosotros / nosotras.
construir | |
---|---|
yo | construyo |
tú | construyes |
él / ella usted |
construye |
nosotros / nosotras | construimos |
ellos / ellas ustedes |
construyen |
You’ve seen how to use quedarse to say that you want to keep something, as in ¡Yo voy a quedarme con todo tu dinero!
Use mantener to say that you want to keep your word.
Yo siempre mantengo mi palabra.
I always keep my word.
If you want to talk about keeping something a certain way, you’ll need an adjective.
Ellos mantienen los ojos cerrados.
They're keeping their eyes closed.