Introduction
Continuar means “to continue”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Continuar is the verb for continuing an activity: studying, working, reading. It is followed by an infinitive with no preposition, or by a noun. Continuar después de + break means to continue after something: after lunch, after the holidays, after a pause. This page shows continuar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo continúo estudiando.” — I continue studying.
Continuar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how continuar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use continuar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo continúo estudiando.” — I continue studying.
“¿Tú continúas trabajando?” — Do you continue working?
“La clase continúa después del descanso.” — The class continues after the break.
“Nosotros continuamos por la calle.” — We continue down the street.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show continuar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer yo continué estudiando.” — Yesterday I continued studying. (preterite)
“La clase continuaba después del descanso siempre.” — The class always used to continue after the break. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of continuar stays the same.
“Nosotros continuaremos por la calle mañana.” — We will continue down the street tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has continuado estudiando?” — Have you continued studying? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros continuáis leyendo.” — You continue reading.
“Ellos continúan el proyecto.” — They continue the project.
“Yo continúo con el libro.” — I continue with the book.
“El profesor continúa la lección.” — The teacher continues the lesson.
Continuar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how continuar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Sara: “¿Tú continúas trabajando?” — Do you continue working?
Diego: “Sí, yo continúo estudiando.” — Yes, I continue studying.
Sara: “Nosotros continuamos por la calle.” — We continue down the street.
Diego: “Y ellos continúan el proyecto.” — And they continue the project.
Sara: “Vosotros continuáis leyendo.” — You continue reading.
Diego: “Sí, y la clase continúa después del descanso.” — Yes, and the class continues after the break.
A short paragraph
Sara continúa estudiando, y la clase continúa después del descanso. Nosotros continuamos por la calle, y ellos continúan el proyecto. Yo continúo con el libro, y el profesor continúa la lección. Continuar is part of every day, because continuing to study, continuing after a break and continuing down the street are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with continuar
These are the errors learners actually make with continuar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo continúo a estudiar.” Right: “Yo continúo estudiando.” Why: Continuar takes a gerund, not an infinitive with a: continúo estudiando, not continúo a estudiar. The gerund is the standard structure for continuing an activity.
Wrong: “Ellos continúa el proyecto.” Right: “Ellos continúan el proyecto.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form continúan. The singular continúa belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as la clase.
Wrong: “Yo continúo estudiando ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo continué estudiando.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to continué.
Wrong: “Nosotros continúas por la calle.” Right: “Nosotros continuamos por la calle.” Why: Nosotros needs continuamos. The tú form continúas belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos continúo todos los días.” Right: “Ellos continúan todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form continúan, not the yo form continúo. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: continuar in use
Ten questions on continuar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ leyendo.” (You continue reading.)
- (a) continúas
- (b) continuáis
- (c) continúo
Answer: continuáis — The vosotros/as form of continuar in the present tense is continuáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el proyecto.” (They continue the project.)
- (a) continúan
- (b) continúo
- (c) continúas
Answer: continúan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of continuar in the present tense is continúan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ estudiando.” (Yesterday I continued studying.)
- (a) continuaste
- (b) continuó
- (c) continué
Answer: continué — In the preterite, the yo form of continuar is continué.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “La clase ______ después del descanso siempre.” (The class always used to continue after the break.)
- (a) continuabas
- (b) continuaba
- (c) continuaba
Answer: continuaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of continuar is continuaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ por la calle mañana.” (We will continue down the street tomorrow.)
- (a) continuaremos
- (b) continuaré
- (c) continuarás
Answer: continuaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of continuar is continuaremos.
6. What does continuar mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to continue
Answer: to continue — Continuar means “to continue”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo continúo estudiando.
- (b) Yo continúo a estudiar.
- (c) Ellos continúa el proyecto.
Answer: Yo continúo estudiando. — “Yo continúo estudiando.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I continue with the book.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo continúan con el libro.
- (b) Yo continúo con el libro.
- (c) El profesor continúa la lección.
Answer: Yo continúo con el libro. — “Yo continúo con el libro.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of continuar in the present tense?
- (a) continúo
- (b) continúas
- (c) continuamos
Answer: continuamos — The nosotros form is continuamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer yo continué estudiando.
- (b) Nosotros continuaremos por la calle mañana.
- (c) Yo continúo estudiando.
Answer: Yo continúo estudiando. — “Yo continúo estudiando.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I continue studying' in Spanish?
Say 'Continúo estudiando'. The gerund follows directly with no preposition. Note the accent on the ú in continúo.
How do you say 'to continue after the break' in Spanish?
Say 'continuar después del descanso'. In the present: 'La clase continúa después del descanso'.
Why does continúo have an accent?
Because the stress falls on the u, and without the accent the u would form a diphthong with the following vowel. The accent marks the stressed syllable: continúo, continúas, continúa, continúan. The nosotros and vosotros forms have no accent.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of continuar — every tense of continuar in one place.
- Continuar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on continuar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of continuar until they are automatic.