verb
to hold, to stop, to keep
A1
halten: strong irregular verb meaning 'to hold', 'to stop', 'to keep'. Auxiliary haben; perfect gehalten. Present stem change du hältst, er hält; past hielt. Can be non-reflexive (hold, stop) or reflexive: sich halten meaning 'to behave' or 'to abide' (sich an Regeln halten uses an + accusative).
Examples
Ich habe das Buch gehalten.
I held the book.
Was hältst du von der Idee?
What do you think of the idea?
Der Bus hält an der nächsten Haltestelle.
The bus stops at the next stop.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine gripping something tightly to 'hold' it; also a car coming to a 'halt'.
Think of 'halt' in English — similar root meaning to stop or hold.
Notes
Can be used transitively (to hold), intransitively (to stop), and reflexively (sich halten = to behave or to adhere to something). Present stem vowel change: er hält.