Introduction
Continuar means “to continue”, and this page covers exactly one thing: continuar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for continuar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about continuar in the present. Continuar is the verb for continuing an activity: studying, working, reading. It is followed by an infinitive with no preposition, or by a noun. For example: “Yo continúo estudiando.” — I continue studying. Everything on this page uses the forms of continuar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Continuar in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | continúo |
| tú | continúas |
| él/ella/Ud. | continúa |
| nosotros/as | continuamos |
| vosotros/as | continuáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | continúan |
Gerund: continuando · Past participle: continuado
The gerund is continuando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy continuando” means the action of continuar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is continuado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he continuado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how continuar is used.
How the present of continuar is formed
Continuar is a regular -ar verb, so the present follows the standard pattern with no surprises. Take the stem continu (the infinitive without its -ar ending) and add the present endings: -o for yo, -as or -es for tú, -a or -e for él/ella/Ud., -amos / -emos / -imos for nosotros, -áis for vosotros, and -an or -en for ellos/ellas/Uds.. That gives you continúo, continúas, continúa, continuamos, continuáis and continúan. Because the verb is regular, once you know the stem and the six endings you can produce every form without memorising a list, and the same pattern works for every other regular -ar verb you learn.
When to use the present of continuar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use continuar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. Continuing an activity
Continuar is the verb for continuing an activity: studying, working, reading. It is followed by an infinitive with no preposition, or by a noun. Example: “Yo continúo estudiando.” — I continue studying.
2. Continuing after a break
Continuar después de + break means to continue after something: after lunch, after the holidays, after a pause. Example: “La clase continúa después del descanso.” — The class continues after the break.
3. Continuing in a direction
Continuar por + place means to continue along somewhere: down the street, through the park. The por marks the route. Example: “Nosotros continuamos por la calle.” — We continue down the street.
4. Habits and routines
The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and continuar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos los días, siempre or cada semana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Yo continúo estudiando.” — I continue studying.
5. What is happening right now
The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Spanish often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with continuar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nosotros continuamos por la calle.” — We continue down the street.
Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the preterite describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos los días or siempre, while the preterite sentences use ayer or la semana pasada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.
Present Tense: “Yo continúo estudiando todos los días.” — I continue studying every day.
Preterite: “Ayer yo continué estudiando.” — Yesterday I continued studying.
Todos los días describes a routine, so the present is right; ayer names one finished day, so the preterite is right.
Present Tense: “La clase continúa después del descanso siempre.” — The class always continues after the break.
Preterite: “La clase continuó después del descanso ayer.” — The class continued after the break yesterday.
Siempre signals repetition, so the present fits; ayer names one finished day, so the preterite fits.
Present Tense: “Yo continúo estudiando.” — I continue studying.
Preterite: “Ayer, yo continué estudiando.” — the same action, but finished yesterday instead of repeated as a habit.
The present sentence is true every day; the preterite sentence is true once, yesterday. That difference — routine versus one finished event — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: continuar in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“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.
“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.
Common mistakes with continuar in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. 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.
Quiz: continuar in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ estudiando.” (I continue studying.)
- (a) continúas
- (b) continúa
- (c) continúo
Answer: continúo — The yo form of continuar in the present is continúo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ trabajando?” (Do you continue working?)
- (a) continúa
- (b) continúas
- (c) continúo
Answer: continúas — The tú form of continuar in the present is continúas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “La clase ______ después del descanso.” (The class continues after the break.)
- (a) continúa
- (b) continúo
- (c) continúas
Answer: continúa — The él/ella/Ud. form of continuar in the present is continúa. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ por la calle.” (We continue down the street.)
- (a) continúo
- (b) continúas
- (c) continuamos
Answer: continuamos — The nosotros/as form of continuar in the present is continuamos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of continuar in the present?
- (a) continúas
- (b) continuáis
- (c) continúo
Answer: continuáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes continuáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros continuáis leyendo.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el proyecto.” (They continue the project.)
- (a) continúo
- (b) continúas
- (c) continúan
Answer: continúan — The subject needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, which is continúan.
7. Which is the correct yo form of continuar in the present?
- (a) continúo
- (b) continúa
- (c) continúan
Answer: continúo — The yo form is continúo. The other two options are the él/ella and ellos/ellas forms.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something that happens regularly?
- (a) Yo continúo estudiando todos los días.
- (b) Ayer yo continué estudiando.
- (c) Ayer yo continué estudiando.
Answer: Yo continúo estudiando todos los días. — “Yo continúo estudiando todos los días.” describes something repeated, so it takes the present tense. The other two sentences describe single finished occasions in the past, not habits.
Frequently asked questions
Is continuar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Continuar is a regular -ar verb: the stem is continu- and the present endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. The only detail is the written accent on the stressed u: continúo, continúas, continúa, continúan. Nosotros and vosotros have no accent: continuamos, continuáis.
Does continuar take a gerund or an infinitive?
A gerund: continuar + gerund means to continue doing something. Say 'Continúo estudiando', not 'Continúo a estudiar'. Before a noun, there is no preposition: 'Continúo el proyecto'.
What is the difference between continuar and seguir?
The two are near-synonyms, and both mean to continue. Seguir is slightly more common in everyday speech, especially with a gerund ('Sigo estudiando'), while continuar is slightly more formal. In most sentences they are interchangeable.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of continuar — every tense of continuar in one place.
- Continuar examples and quiz — more sentences with continuar and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on continuar and other verbs.