Seguir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of seguir — to follow — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. Seguir means to follow and to continue: seguir las instrucciones, seguir estudiando. It is an e → i stem-changing verb (sigo, sigues, sigue) and a go-verb in the yo form. Seguir + gerund is the standard way to say to keep doing something. This page gives you the complete present tense table for seguir, 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: “Yo sigo las instrucciones del manual.” — “I follow the instructions in the manual”.

Present tense conjugation of seguir

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for seguir. Seguir is an e → i stem-changing irregular -ir verb (irregular in present, present-subjunctive, preterite, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Present tense indicative — seguir

Person Form
yo sigo
tú sigues
él/ella/Ud. sigue
nosotros/as seguimos
vosotros/as seguís
ellos/ellas/Uds. siguen

The gerund of seguir is siguiendo and the past participle is seguido. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for the progressive with estar.

How the present tense of seguir is formed

The present tense of seguir does not follow the regular pattern. It has a e → i stem change, so the stem vowel changes in the stressed forms. If seguir were regular, the present tense forms would be yo → seguo, tú → segues, él/ella/Ud. → segue, nosotros/as → seguimos, vosotros/as → seguís, ellos/ellas/Uds. → seguen — but seguir breaks the pattern in this tense: the forms are sigo, sigues, sigue, seguimos, seguís and siguen.

The stem change affects the stressed forms only: sigo, sigues, sigue and siguen change, while seguimos and seguís keep the plain stem. That is the rule for every e → i stem-changing verb, and it is why the nosotros and vosotros forms are the safe ones to fall back on when you are unsure.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the present tense, seguís carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the present tense of seguir

1. Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly. For example, with seguir: “Yo sigo las instrucciones del manual.” — “I follow the instructions in the manual”. 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 for things that are always true. For example, with seguir: “Ella sigue estudiando por la noche.” — “She keeps studying at night”. 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 for actions in progress at this moment. For example, with seguir: “Nosotros seguimos el camino hasta el pueblo.” — “We follow the path to the village”. 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 for fixed plans, especially with a time expression. For example, with seguir: “Ellos siguen trabajando en el proyecto.” — “They keep working on the project”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: seguir now, seguir 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 tense: “Yo sigo las instrucciones todos los días.” — “I follow the instructions every day.”

  • Future: “Yo seguiré las instrucciones mañana.” — “Tomorrow I will follow the instructions.”

  • Present tense tense: “Ella sigue las instrucciones ahora.” — “She follows the instructions now.”

  • Future: “Ella seguirá las instrucciones la semana que viene.” — “Next week she will follow the instructions.”

  • Present tense tense: “Nosotros seguimos las instrucciones en clase.” — “We follow the instructions in class.”

  • Future: “Nosotros seguiremos las instrucciones el lunes.” — “On Monday we will follow the instructions.”

Example sentences: seguir in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of seguir, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Yo sigo las instrucciones del manual.” — “I follow the instructions in the manual.”
  • “Ella sigue estudiando por la noche.” — “She keeps studying at night.”
  • “Nosotros seguimos el camino hasta el pueblo.” — “We follow the path to the village.”
  • “Ellos siguen trabajando en el proyecto.” — “They keep working on the project.”
  • “¿Tú sigues la serie nueva?” — “Are you following the new series?”
  • “Vosotros seguís mis consejos, por favor.” — “Follow my advice, please.”

Common mistakes with seguir in the present tense

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo sego las instrucciones.

Right: Yo sigo las instrucciones.

The yo form is sigo — seguir is a go-verb with an e → i change.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Él seguió estudiando — learners use the wrong stem in the preterite.

Right: Él sigue estudiando.

The preterite keeps the i stem: siguió, from sigu-, not seguió.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Using the plain stem in a stressed form.

Right: Use the changed stem: sigo.

The e → i stem change applies to the stressed forms of seguir — the yo form is sigo, not the plain stem.

Quiz: seguir in the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense of seguir. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of seguir in the present tense?

  • A) sigo
  • B) sigues
  • C) sigue
  • D) seguimos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is sigo.

2. What is the tú form of seguir in the present tense?

  • A) sigo
  • B) sigue
  • C) seguimos
  • D) sigues

Answer: D — The tú form in the present tense is sigues.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of seguir in the present tense?

  • A) sigues
  • B) seguimos
  • C) sigue
  • D) sigo

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is sigue.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of seguir in the present tense?

  • A) sigue
  • B) seguimos
  • C) sigo
  • D) sigues

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present tense is seguimos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ las instrucciones del manual.” (I follow the instructions in the manual.)

  • A) sigo
  • B) sigues
  • C) sigue
  • D) seguimos

Answer: A — The sentence needs sigo.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ estudiando por la noche.” (She keeps studying at night.)

  • A) sigo
  • B) sigues
  • C) seguimos
  • D) sigue

Answer: D — The sentence needs sigue.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo sego las instrucciones.
  • B) Yo sigo las instrucciones.

Answer: B — The yo form is sigo — seguir is a go-verb with an e → i change.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Él sigue estudiando.
  • B) Él seguió estudiando — learners use the wrong stem in the preterite.

Answer: A — The preterite keeps the i stem: siguió, from sigu-, not seguió.

Frequently asked questions

Is seguir regular in the present tense?

No. seguir is irregular in the present tense: the forms are sigo, sigues, sigue, seguimos, seguís and siguen. There is no rule that produces them from the infinitive, so they have to be learnt as a set — the quiz above is a good place to start.

What is the yo form of seguir in the present tense?

It is sigo. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for seguir it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the present tense of seguir instead of the preterite?

Use the present when the action is a habit, a fact, or happening now, and the preterite when it is a finished action in the past. If you can add “yesterday” to the sentence and it still makes sense, you almost certainly need the preterite, not the present.

How can I remember the present tense forms of seguir?

Say the six forms aloud in order — sigo, sigues, sigue, seguimos, seguís, siguen — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for seguir to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo sigo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo seguí…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo seguiré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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