Continuer Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of continuer — “to continue” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for continuer, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Je continue mon travail chaque matin.” — “I continue my work every morning.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for continuer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of continuer
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for continuer. continuer is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — continuer
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | continue |
| tu | continues |
| il/elle | continue |
| nous | continuons |
| vous | continuez |
| ils/elles | continuent |
The gerund of continuer is en continuant and the past participle is continué. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of continuer is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem continu- (the infinitive continuer without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → continue, tu → continues, il/elle → continue, nous → continuons, vous → continuez, ils/elles → continuent. So continuer gives continue, continues, continue, continuons, continuez, continuent.
When to use the present tense of continuer
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with continuer: “Je continue mon travail chaque matin tous les jours.” — “I continue my work every morning.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with continuer: “Tu continues mon travail chaque matin en général.” — “You continue my work every morning.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with continuer: “Il continue mon travail chaque matin maintenant.” — “He continues my work every morning.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with continuer: “Nous continuons mon travail chaque matin demain.” — “We continue my work every morning.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with continuer: “Ils continuent mon travail chaque matin souvent.” — “They continue my work every morning.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: continuer now, continuer later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present Tense: “Je continue mon travail chaque matin tous les jours.” — “I continue my work every morning.”
Future: “Je continuerai mon travail chaque matin demain.” — “I will continue my work every morning tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu continues mon travail chaque matin maintenant.” — “You continue my work every morning.”
Future: “Tu continueras mon travail chaque matin demain.” — “You will continue my work every morning tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous continuons mon travail chaque matin en classe.” — “We continue my work every morning.”
Future: “Nous continuerons mon travail chaque matin demain.” — “We will continue my work every morning tomorrow.”
Example sentences: continuer in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of continuer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je continue mon travail chaque matin tous les jours.” — “I continue my work every morning.”
- “Tu continues mon travail chaque matin chaque matin.” — “You continue my work every morning.”
- “Il continue mon travail chaque matin souvent.” — “He continues my work every morning.”
- “Nous continuons mon travail chaque matin maintenant.” — “We continue my work every morning.”
- “Vous continuez mon travail chaque matin en général.” — “You continue my work every morning.”
- “Ils continuent mon travail chaque matin le week-end.” — “They continue my work every morning.”
Common mistakes with continuer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je continuer mon travail chaque matin.”
Right: “Je continue mon travail chaque matin.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form continue.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu continue mon travail chaque matin.”
Right: “Tu continues mon travail chaque matin.”
After tu you need continues, not the je form continue. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je continuerai mon travail chaque matin.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je continue mon travail chaque matin tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (continuerai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Using the passé composé for a habit
Wrong: “J'ai continué mon travail chaque matin tous les jours.” (for a daily habit)
Right: “Je continue mon travail chaque matin tous les jours.”
A daily habit takes the present. The passé composé is for finished events.
Quiz: continuer in the present tense
What is the je form of continuer in the Present indicative?
- A) continuons
- B) continuent
- C) continue
- D) continues
What is the tu form of continuer in the Present indicative?
- A) continuent
- B) continuez
- C) continues
- D) continuons
What is the il/elle form of continuer in the Present indicative?
- A) continuent
- B) continuons
- C) continuez
- D) continue
What is the nous form of continuer in the Present indicative?
- A) continuons
- B) continues
- C) continuez
- D) continuent
What is the vous form of continuer in the Present indicative?
- A) continuez
- B) continuons
- C) continues
- D) continue
What is the ils/elles form of continuer in the Present indicative?
- A) continuent
- B) continue
- C) continues
- D) continuez
What is the gerund of continuer?
- A) en continuant
- B) continue
- C) continuerai
- D) continué
What does continuer mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to continue
- D) to go
Answer key
- C) continue — the je form of continuer in the present indicative is continue.
- C) continues — the tu form of continuer in the present indicative is continues.
- D) continue — the il/elle form of continuer in the present indicative is continue.
- A) continuons — the nous form of continuer in the present indicative is continuons.
- A) continuez — the vous form of continuer in the present indicative is continuez.
- A) continuent — the ils/elles form of continuer in the present indicative is continuent.
- A) en continuant — the gerund of continuer is en continuant.
- C) to continue — continuer means “to continue” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of continuer formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is continue and the ils form is continuent.
When do I use the present tense of continuer?
Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five usage rules above, with examples, cover the situations you will meet most often.
What is the difference between the present tense and the future?
The present is for what is true now or happens regularly (continue), while the future is for what will happen (continuerai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of continuer?
On the full conjugation page for continuer, which has every tense, plus examples and a longer quiz. The examples and quiz page has more sentences in context.
Practice drill
Say the six present tense forms of continuer in order, without looking: continue, continues, continue, continuons, continuez, continuent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using continue, ai continué and continuerai. Check every form against the table above. When you can produce all six persons without looking, move on to the examples and quiz page.
Related pages
- continuer in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- continuer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Arreter conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise continuer with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise continuer with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.