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.
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Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics
Examples and resources
Mi padre sigue fumando a pesar de las advertencias del médico.My dad keeps on smoking despite the doctor's warnings.
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.
