Continuer Conjugation in French
continuer means “to continue” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of continuer — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Je continue mon travail chaque matin.” — “I continue my work every morning.” Learning the forms on this page first, before you try to use the verb in conversation, saves you from guessing later: French spelling and endings change with the person and the tense, and continuer is no exception. Work through the tables one tense at a time, say each form aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: continuer
- English: to continue
- Verb type: Regular -er verb
- Irregular in: — (regular in every tense)
- Gerund: en continuant
- Past participle: continué
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
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.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for continuer. Learn the present tense first, then the passé composé and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | continue |
| tu | continues |
| il/elle | continue |
| nous | continuons |
| vous | continuez |
| ils/elles | continuent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | continuai |
| tu | continuas |
| il/elle | continua |
| nous | continuâmes |
| vous | continuâtes |
| ils/elles | continuèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | continuais |
| tu | continuais |
| il/elle | continuait |
| nous | continuions |
| vous | continuiez |
| ils/elles | continuaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | continuerai |
| tu | continueras |
| il/elle | continuera |
| nous | continuerons |
| vous | continuerez |
| ils/elles | continueront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | continuerais |
| tu | continuerais |
| il/elle | continuerait |
| nous | continuerions |
| vous | continueriez |
| ils/elles | continueraient |
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai continué |
| tu | as continué |
| il/elle | a continué |
| nous | avons continué |
| vous | avez continué |
| ils/elles | ont continué |
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais continué |
| tu | avais continué |
| il/elle | avait continué |
| nous | avions continué |
| vous | aviez continué |
| ils/elles | avaient continué |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai continué |
| tu | auras continué |
| il/elle | aura continué |
| nous | aurons continué |
| vous | aurez continué |
| ils/elles | auront continué |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais continué |
| tu | aurais continué |
| il/elle | aurait continué |
| nous | aurions continué |
| vous | auriez continué |
| ils/elles | auraient continué |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | continue |
| tu | continues |
| il/elle | continue |
| nous | continuions |
| vous | continuiez |
| ils/elles | continuent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | continuasse |
| tu | continuasses |
| il/elle | continuât |
| nous | continuassions |
| vous | continuassiez |
| ils/elles | continuassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | continue |
| nous | continuons |
| vous | continuez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | continue |
| nous | continuons |
| vous | continuez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en continuant |
| Past participle | continué |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Je continue mon travail chaque matin.” — “I continue my work every morning.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. For example: “Tu continuas mon travail chaque matin.” — “You continued my work every morning one day.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Il continuait mon travail chaque matin quand j’étais jeune.” — “He used to continue my work every morning.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Nous continuerons mon travail chaque matin.” — “We will continue my work every morning tomorrow.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Vous continueriez mon travail chaque matin.” — “You would continue my work every morning if you could.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for recent past actions and completed events. With continuer it is formed with avoir + the past participle continué. For example: “Ils ont continué mon travail chaque matin hier.” — “They have continued my work every morning.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais continué mon travail chaque matin avant la fête.” — “I had continued my work every morning before the party.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras continué mon travail chaque matin.” — “You will have continued my work every morning by tomorrow evening.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait continué mon travail chaque matin.” — “He would have continued my work every morning if he had been able to.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Il faut que je continue mon travail chaque matin.” — “It is important that I continue my work every morning.”
Imperfect subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, mainly in formal writing. For example: “Il fallait que je continuasse mon travail chaque matin.” — “It was important that I continue my work every morning.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Continue mon travail chaque matin !” — “Continue my work every morning!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Continue mon travail chaque matin !” — “Do not continue my work every morning!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund is en continuant — “while continuing” — used after en to say how something happens. The past participle is continué, used with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai continué.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with continuer, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je continue mon travail chaque matin.” — “I continue my work every morning.”
- “Tu continues mon travail chaque matin.” — “You continue my work every morning.”
- “Il continuait mon travail chaque matin.” — “He used to continue my work every morning.”
- “Nous continuerons mon travail chaque matin.” — “We will continue my work every morning tomorrow.”
- “Je continuerais mon travail chaque matin.” — “I would continue my work every morning if I could.”
- “Tu as continué mon travail chaque matin.” — “You have continued my work every morning.”
- “Il avait continué mon travail chaque matin.” — “He had continued my work every morning before the party.”
- “Nous aurons continué mon travail chaque matin.” — “We will have continued my work every morning by tomorrow evening.”
- “Il faut que je continue mon travail chaque matin.” — “It is important that I continue my work every morning.”
- “Continue mon travail chaque matin !” — “Continue my work every morning!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je continuer mon travail chaque matin.”
✓ Right: “Je continue mon travail chaque matin.”
The infinitive continuer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form continue.
2. Confusing continuer with arrêter
✗ Wrong: “Je continue la voiture devant la maison.” (meant as “arrêter”)
✓ Right: “Je continue mon travail chaque matin.”
continuer means “to continue”; arrêter means “to stop”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Using the wrong auxiliary for the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis continué mon travail chaque matin.”
✓ Right: “J'ai continué mon travail chaque matin.”
With continuer the passé composé is formed with avoir, not être: ai continué.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il faut que je continue mon travail chaque matin.”
✓ Right: “Il faut que je continue mon travail chaque matin.”
After il faut que French needs the subjunctive, so use continue here, not the indicative continue.
5. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Je continue mon travail chaque matin hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai continué mon travail chaque matin hier.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the passé composé (ai continué), not the present.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the je form of continuer in the Present indicative?
- A) continuons
- B) continuent
- C) continue
- D) continues
What is the ils/elles form of continuer in the Present indicative?
- A) continuent
- B) continue
- C) continuez
- D) continues
What is the il/elle form of continuer in the Passé simple?
- A) continua
- B) continuèrent
- C) continuâtes
- D) continuas
What is the nous form of continuer in the Imperfect?
- A) continuais
- B) continuaient
- C) continuions
- D) continuiez
What is the tu form of continuer in the Future?
- A) continuera
- B) continueras
- C) continueront
- D) continuerai
What is the je form of continuer in the Conditional?
- A) continueraient
- B) continuerions
- C) continueriez
- D) continuerais
What is the il/elle form of continuer in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) avez continué
- B) a continué
- C) as continué
- D) ai continué
What is the vous form of continuer in the Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)?
- A) aviez continué
- B) avais continué
- C) avait continué
- D) avions continué
What is the gerund of continuer?
- A) continuerai
- B) continué
- C) en continuant
- D) continue
What is the past participle of continuer?
- A) continuais
- B) continué
- C) continue
- D) en continuant
Answer key
- C) continue — the je form of continuer in the present indicative is continue.
- A) continuent — the ils/elles form of continuer in the present indicative is continuent.
- A) continua — the il/elle form of continuer in the passé simple is continua.
- C) continuions — the nous form of continuer in the imperfect is continuions.
- B) continueras — the tu form of continuer in the future is continueras.
- D) continuerais — the je form of continuer in the conditional is continuerais.
- B) a continué — the il/elle form of continuer in the present perfect (passé composé) is a continué.
- A) aviez continué — the vous form of continuer in the pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is aviez continué.
- C) en continuant — the gerund of continuer is en continuant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
- B) continué — the past participle of continuer is continué; perfect tenses use avoir + continué.
Frequently asked questions
What does continuer mean in English?
continuer means “to continue”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Je continue mon travail chaque matin.” (“I continue my work every morning.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is continuer regular or irregular?
continuer is regular: its endings follow the standard -er pattern in every tense. The gerund is en continuant and the past participle is continué.
What are the gerund and past participle of continuer?
The gerund is en continuant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is continué — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai continué.
What is the difference between continuer and arrêter?
continuer means “to continue”, while arrêter means “to stop”. They are easy to mix up because they appear in similar situations, but their meanings are different. If you are unsure, check the full conjugation page for arrêter and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I continue” in French?
Say “Je continue mon travail chaque matin.” — “I continue my work every morning.” The je form of the present is continue, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn continuer
Start with the present tense: continue, continues, continue, continuons, continuez, continuent. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the passé composé — ai continué — and the imperfect — continuais. Next, learn the future (continuerai) and the conditional (continuerais), which share the same stem. Finally, tackle the subjunctive (continue) and the imperative (continue). Write one sentence of your own in each tense, using the examples above as models, and check every form against the tables. When you can produce all six persons of the present without looking, move on to the present-tense quiz.
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.