Using Spanish verbs seguir/continuar + present participle = to keep on [doing something]

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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:

Sigue caminando un poco más y verás una farmacia.Keep on walking a bit longer and you will see a chemist.

Luís siguió insistiendo para convencer a la chica.Luís kept insisting to convince the girl.

Continuar

Conjugate continuar + present participle of second verb

For example:

Continúa caminando un poco más y verás una farmacia.Keep on walking a bit longer and you will see a chemist.

Luís continuó insistiendo para convencer a la chica.Luís kept insisting to convince the girl.

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:

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.

Ellos siguieron bebiendo hasta el amanecer.They kept on drinking until dawn.

Los voluntarios han continuado recaudando dinero para los niños pobres.The volunteers have continued collecting money for poor children.

El bailarín continuó bailando después de su descalificación.The dancer continued dancing after his disqualification.

Take one of the examples above:

Ellos siguieron bebiendo hasta el amanecer.They kept on drinking until dawn.

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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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.
Ellos siguieron bebiendo hasta el amanecer.They kept on drinking until dawn.
Los voluntarios han continuado recaudando dinero para los niños pobres.The volunteers have continued collecting money for poor children.
El bailarín continuó bailando después de su descalificación.The dancer continued dancing after his disqualification.
Luís continuó insistiendo para convencer a la chica.Luís kept insisting to convince the girl.
Luís siguió insistiendo para convencer a la chica.Luís kept insisting to convince the girl.
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