Continuar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

continuar — to continue — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ar verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. 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 — continuo, continuas, continua — and there is no spelling change to watch for. On this page you will find continuar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the continuar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the continuar present tense page.

Example sentences with continuar

In the present tense

  • “Eu continuo o trabalho todos os dias.” — “I continue the work”
  • “Tu continuas o trabalho todos os dias.” — “You continue the work”
  • “Ele continua o trabalho todos os dias.” — “He continues the work”
  • “Nós continuamos o trabalho todos os dias.” — “We continue the work”
  • “Vós continuais o trabalho todos os dias.” — “You continue the work”
  • “Eles continuam o trabalho todos os dias.” — “They continue the work”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu continuei o trabalho ontem.” — “I continued the work”
  • “Tu continuaste o trabalho ontem.” — “You continued the work”
  • “Ele continuou o trabalho ontem.” — “He continued the work”
  • “Nós continuámos o trabalho ontem.” — “We continued the work”
  • “Vós continuastes o trabalho ontem.” — “You continued the work”
  • “Eles continuaram o trabalho ontem.” — “They continued the work”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu continuava o trabalho antigamente.” — “I used to continue the work”
  • “Tu continuarás o trabalho amanhã.” — “You will continue the work”
  • “Ele continuaria o trabalho um dia.” — “He would continue the work”
  • “É importante que nós continuemos o trabalho.” — “It is important that we continue the work”
  • “Continua o trabalho!” — “Continue the work!”

How continuar is used

The first thing to know about continuar is its core meaning: to continue. 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 — continuo, continuas, continua — and there is no spelling change to watch for. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company continuar keeps. The present eu form is continuo, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho continuado, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what continuar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need continuo, never continuar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho continuado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle continuado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Continuar in context

Eu continuo o trabalho todos os dias. Tu continuas o trabalho todos os dias. Ele continua o trabalho todos os dias. Nós continuamos o trabalho todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of continuar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — continuo, continuas, continua, continuamos — while the meaning stays the same: to continue. Eu continuei o trabalho ontem. Tu continuaste o trabalho ontem. Ele continuou o trabalho ontem. Nós continuámos o trabalho ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of continuar appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to continue — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu continuar o trabalho.”

✓ Right: “Eu continuo o trabalho todos os dias.”

The infinitive continuar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form continuo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu continuas o trabalho.”

✓ Right: “Eu continuo o trabalho todos os dias.”

continuas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is continuo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu continuo o trabalho ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu continuei o trabalho ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito continuei here, not the present continuo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou continuado o trabalho.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho continuado o trabalho esta semana.”

continuar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho continuado — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on continuar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of continuar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) continuo
    • B) continuas
    • C) continua
    • D) continuamos

  2. What is the eu form of continuar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens continuado
    • B) tem continuado
    • C) tenho continuado
    • D) temos continuado

  3. What is the ele/ela form of continuar in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) continuavas
    • B) continuávamos
    • C) continuáveis
    • D) continuava

  4. What is the nós form of continuar in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) continuaremos
    • B) continuarei
    • C) continuarás
    • D) continuará

  5. What is the tu form of continuar in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) continuaria
    • B) continuarias
    • C) continuaríamos
    • D) continuaríeis

  6. What is the eu form of continuar in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) continuaras
    • B) continuáramos
    • C) continuara
    • D) continuáreis

  7. What is the nós form of continuar in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) continue
    • B) continues
    • C) continueis
    • D) continuemos

  8. What is the gerund of continuar?

    • A) continuando
    • B) continuado
    • C) continuar
    • D) continuo

  9. What is the past participle of continuar?

    • A) continuando
    • B) continuado
    • C) continuar
    • D) continuo

  10. What does continuar mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to continue
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) continuas — the correct form is continuas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho continuado — the correct form is tenho continuado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) continuava — the correct form is continuava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) continuaremos — the correct form is continuaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) continuarias — the correct form is continuarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) continuara — the correct form is continuara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) continuemos — the correct form is continuemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) continuando — the correct form is continuando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) continuado — the correct form is continuado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to continue — the correct form is to continue. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does continuar mean in English?

continuar means “to continue”. You use it whenever you talk about to continue in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is continuar regular or irregular?

continuar is regular. continuar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of continuar?

The gerund is continuando and the past participle is continuado. The perfect tenses use ter + continuado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of continuar?

On the continuar conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The continuar present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for continuar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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