Spanish word

manutención

Pronunciation

IPA/manutenˈθjon/

Meaning

  • feminine nounliving expenses

Example

La manutención de una familia puede ser muy alta en la ciudad.

The living expenses of a family can be very high in the city.

Illustration for manutención (living expenses)

More examples

Pedí ayuda para la manutención mientras buscaba trabajo.

I asked for help with living expenses while I looked for work.

Core concept

Regular money needed to keep a household running.

Common phrases

  • manutención del hogar

    household living expenses

  • ayuda para la manutención

    help with living expenses

  • asumir la manutención

    cover the living expenses

Similar words

gasto: Any individual cost or expenditure incurred for goods, services or activities.
mantenimiento: Expenses for repairs, upkeep and servicing to maintain property or equipment.
sustento: Financial or material support that sustains a person's daily life and basic needs.

Definition in Spanish

Pago o gasto recurrente que sirve para mantener el nivel de vida, como alimentación, vivienda y servicios básicos.

Word origin

Derived from the verb mantener 'to maintain', which goes back to Latin tenēre 'to hold', manutención names the recurring payments that keep a household's standard of living.

Usage tips

  • As a collocation, pagar la manutención often refers specifically to paying child support, so speakers use gastos, gastos de la casa, or coste de la vida to talk about routine expenses.

Other meanings

  • child supportnoun
  • maintenance costsnoun

Opposites

  • autosuficienciaself-sufficiencynoun

Related words

Word lists with this word