To express to keep on/continue doing something in Spanish we use one of these two verbal structures:
Seguir
Conjugate seguir + gerund of second verb
For example:
Continuar
Conjugate continuar + gerund of second verb
For example:
Notice how both seguir and continuar are followed by a gerund, 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) verbs: seguir, conseguir, perseguir in El Presente (present tense)
- Verbos con cambio ortográfico gu > g (El Presente)
Also remember the absence of a preposition between seguir/continuar and the gerund 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.
Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Braimap today »
Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics
Examples and resources
Continúa caminando un poco más y verás una farmacia.Keep on walking a bit longer and you will see a chemist.
El bailarín continuó bailando después de su descalificación.The dancer continued dancing after his disqualification.
Sigue caminando un poco más y verás una farmacia.Keep on walking a bit longer and you will see a chemist.
