seguir/continuar + Gerund
Continuing Actions
Use seguir or continuar + a verb ending in -ando or -iendo to say you 'keep doing' something. For example, Sigo trabajando means 'I'm still working.'
How It Works
Seguir/continuar + gerund emphasizes continuation. The first verb carries tense and person; the gerund names the activity.
The present forms of seguir are sigo, sigues, sigue, seguimos, seguís, siguen. The stem changes from e to i except in nosotros and vosotros; sigo also drops the written u. With continuar, write the stressed vowel in continúo, continúas, continúa, continúan; compare continuamos, continuáis.
Estar + gerund presents an activity in progress at the reference time. Seguir + gerund adds the idea that it was already happening: Estaba leyendo (I was reading) versus Seguía leyendo (I was still reading). Neither construction is limited to the present moment.
Use a gerund after these auxiliaries in this continuation pattern: siguen estudiando, not siguen estudiar.
Examples (5)
- Sigo viviendo en la misma casa.
I'm still living in the same house.
Word by Word: I continue living in the same house.
- Ellos continúan trabajando juntos a pesar de los problemas.
They continue working together despite the problems.
Word by Word: They continue working together in spite of the problems.
- ¿Por qué sigues haciendo tanto ruido?
Why do you keep making so much noise?
Word by Word: Why continue you making so much noise?
- Aunque llovía, seguimos caminando.
Even though it was raining, we kept walking.
Word by Word: Although it was raining, we continued walking.
- Mi abuela sigue tejiendo suéteres para toda la familia.
My grandmother is still knitting sweaters for the whole family.
Word by Word: My grandmother continues knitting sweaters for all the family.
Common Mistakes
Using the infinitive instead of the gerund.
Él sigue estudiar para el examen.Él sigue estudiando para el examen.After 'seguir' and 'continuar' in this construction, the action verb must be in the gerund form (-ando/-iendo), not the infinitive (-ar/-er/-ir).
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'seguir/continuar + gerund', you first need to know how to form the gerund (-ando/-iendo). Additionally, since 'seguir' is an e→i stem-changing -ir verb, you must be comfortable with those specific conjugation rules to use the auxiliary verb correctly.
- -ando/-iendoGerund Formation
The gerund form is the core component of this construction, as it follows the verbs seguir or continuar to express the ongoing action.
Level 2 - e→iStem-Changing Verbs E→I
The verb 'seguir' is an e→i stem-changing verb, so understanding this conjugation pattern is necessary to use it correctly in the present tense.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- estar + GerundPresent Progressive
Estar + gerund presents an activity in progress at a reference time; seguir + gerund adds continuation from an earlier point.
Level 2 - dejar de + InfinitiveStop Doing
This is the direct antonym.
Level 5Seguir + gerundmeans 'to keep doing' something, whereasdejar de + infinitivemeans 'to stop doing' it. - llevar + Time + GerundDuration of Action
Both describe continuous actions.
Level 2Llevar + time + gerundspecifically quantifies how long an action has been happening (e.g., 'I have been working for two hours'), whileseguir + gerundsimply states that the action is still in progress.
Words in This Pattern
Practice seguir/continuar + Gerund in Bubblegum
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