Learn how to say to continue to do something in Spanish with seguir/continuar
To express to keep on/continue doing something in Spanish we use one of these two verbal structures:
Seguir
Conjugate seguir + present participle of second verb
For example:
Continuar
Conjugate continuar + present participle of second verb
For example:
Notice how both seguir and continuar are followed by a present participle, which coincides with the English structure.
However special attention must be paid to the verb seguir which is a stem-changing verb (e>i) as well as a consonant change verb (gu>g). See:
- Conjugate stem-changing (e > i) and (gu > g) verbs: seguir, conseguir, perseguir in the present tense in Spanish (El Presente)
- Verbos con cambio ortográfico gu > g (El Presente)
Also remember the absence of a preposition between seguir/continuar and the present participle form, as this is a common mistake.
Here are some other examples:
Mi padre sigue fumando a pesar de las advertencias del médico.My dad keeps on smoking despite the doctor's warnings.
Take one of the examples above:
It is incorrect to use a preposition between the two verb forms or to use the infinitive:
Ellos siguieron a bebiendo hasta el amanecer.
Ellos siguieron a beber hasta el amanecer.
Ellos continuaron a bebiendo hasta el amanecer.
Ellos continuaron a beber hasta el amanecer.
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Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics
Examples and resources
Sigue caminando un poco más y verás una farmacia.Keep on walking a bit longer and you will see a chemist.
Continúa caminando un poco más y verás una farmacia.Keep on walking a bit longer and you will see a chemist.
Mi padre sigue fumando a pesar de las advertencias del médico.My dad keeps on smoking despite the doctor's warnings.
Los voluntarios han continuado recaudando dinero para los niños pobres.The volunteers have continued collecting money for poor children.
