Introduction

Continuare means “to continue”, and this page covers exactly one thing: continuare in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian 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 continuare, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about continuare in the present. It means to continue and to carry on, and it is completely regular. The stem ends in u, so the forms keep the u throughout, and there is no spelling change to watch for. For example: “Lui continua il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “He continues the work.” Everything on this page uses the forms of continuare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Continuare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io continuo
tu continui
lui/lei continua
noi continuiamo
voi continuate
loro continuano
Gerund: continuando · Past participle: continuato
The gerund is continuando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Continuando il lavoro, imparo molto.” — “While continuing the work, I learn a lot.” The past participle is continuato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho continuato is the passato prossimo, 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 continuare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for continuare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of continuare is formed

The present tense of continuare has six forms: io continuo, tu continui, lui continua, noi continuiamo, voi continuate, loro continuano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. continuare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of continuare are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning continuiamo and continuate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so continuo can mean both “I continue” and “I am continuing” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because continuare is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -are endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -are verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of continuare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use continuare in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. 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 continuare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io continuo il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “I continue the work.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about continuare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui continua il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “He continues the work.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with continuare in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi continuiamo il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “We continue the work.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu continui il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “You continue the work.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and continuare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro continuano il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “They continue the work.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo 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 ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui continua il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “He continues the work”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha continuato il lavoro questa settimana.” — “He has continued the work”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io continuo il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “I continue the work”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho continuato il lavoro questa settimana.” — “I have continued the work”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu continui il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “You continue the work”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai continuato il lavoro questa settimana.” — “You have continued the work”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: continuare 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 and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io continuo il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “I continue the work”
  2. “Tu continui il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “You continue the work”
  3. “Lui continua il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “He continues the work”
  4. “Noi continuiamo il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “We continue the work”
  5. “Voi continuate il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “You continue the work”
  6. “Loro continuano il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “They continue the work”
  7. “Io continuo il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “I continue the work”
  8. “Lui continua il lavoro ogni giorno.” — “He continues the work”

Common mistakes

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: “Io continui il lavoro.” Right: “Io continuo il lavoro ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is continuo, not continui. continui is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi continuo il lavoro.” Right: “Noi continuiamo il lavoro ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form continuiamo. continuo belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io continuo il lavoro ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho continuato il lavoro questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho continuato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io continuare il lavoro.” Right: “Io continuo il lavoro ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive continuare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form continuo.

Quiz: test yourself

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. What is the io form of continuare in the Present indicative?

    • A) continui
    • B) continuo
    • C) continua
    • D) continuiamo

  2. What is the tu form of continuare in the Present indicative?

    • A) continuo
    • B) continua
    • C) continui
    • D) continuiamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of continuare in the Present indicative?

    • A) continuo
    • B) continui
    • C) continuiamo
    • D) continua

  4. What is the noi form of continuare in the Present indicative?

    • A) continuiamo
    • B) continuo
    • C) continui
    • D) continua

  5. What is the voi form of continuare in the Present indicative?

    • A) continuo
    • B) continuate
    • C) continui
    • D) continua

  6. What is the loro form of continuare in the Present indicative?

    • A) continuo
    • B) continui
    • C) continuano
    • D) continua

  7. What is the io form of continuare in the Present indicative?

    • A) continui
    • B) continua
    • C) continuiamo
    • D) continuo

  8. What is the tu form of continuare in the Present indicative?

    • A) continui
    • B) continuo
    • C) continua
    • D) continuiamo

Answer key

  1. B) continuo — the correct form is continuo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) continui — the correct form is continui. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) continua — the correct form is continua. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) continuiamo — the correct form is continuiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) continuate — the correct form is continuate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) continuano — the correct form is continuano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) continuo — the correct form is continuo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) continui — the correct form is continui. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does continuare mean in English?

continuare means “to continue”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of continuare formed?

The six present forms are: io continuo, tu continui, lui continua, noi continuiamo, voi continuate, loro continuano. continuare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of continuare?

The gerund is continuando and the past participle is continuato.

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