Seguir In Spanish: How To Use “To Follow,” “To Continue,” And “To Keep Doing”
One little verb, three very common jobs. Seguir can mean to follow, to continue, and to still be / keep doing. Tiny word, annoyingly useful.
This guide shows you how to use seguir in real Spanish without turning it into a grammar soap opera. You’ll learn the main meanings, the present tense forms, the pattern seguir + gerundio, and the mistakes beginners make all the time.
Yak Box: The Fast Meaning
- seguir + person / thing = to follow
- seguir by itself = to continue / go on
- seguir + adjective / location = to still be
- seguir + gerundio = to keep doing / still be doing
What Seguir Means In Spanish
Seguir = To Follow
Use seguir when one person, idea, rule, path, or example comes after another.
| Spanish | English Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| seguir a alguien | to follow someone | Tengo que seguir a mi hermano. = I have to follow my brother. |
| seguir las instrucciones | to follow the instructions | Sigo las instrucciones con cuidado. = I follow the instructions carefully. |
| seguir un ejemplo | to follow an example | Quiere seguir el ejemplo de su madre. = He wants to follow his mother’s example. |
Seguir = To Continue / Go On
Use it when something keeps going.
- ¿Quieres que sigamos? = Do you want us to continue?
- La clase sigue mañana. = The class continues tomorrow.
- La carretera sigue hasta el pueblo. = The road continues to the town.
Seguir = To Still Be
This one is extremely common. Spanish often uses seguir where English uses still.
- Sigue enfermo. = He is still sick.
- Seguimos en casa. = We are still at home.
- ¿Sigues cansada? = Are you still tired?
Present Tense Conjugation Of Seguir
Seguir is irregular in the present tense. The stem changes from e → i in most forms, because Spanish likes to keep learners humble.
| Subject | Conjugation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | sigo | Yo sigo tus consejos. = I follow your advice. |
| tú | sigues | Tú sigues aquí. = You are still here. |
| él / ella / usted | sigue | Ella sigue trabajando. = She is still working. |
| nosotros / nosotras | seguimos | Seguimos el plan. = We follow the plan. |
| vosotros / vosotras | seguís | Seguís en la oficina. = You are still in the office. |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | siguen | Siguen las reglas. = They follow the rules. |
The big thing to notice: nosotros seguimos does not change the stem. That happens a lot with stem-changing verbs in the present tense.
Rule → Example
- follow → Sigo a mi profesora. = I follow my teacher.
- continue → Seguimos con la lección. = We continue with the lesson.
- still be → Mi amigo sigue en México. = My friend is still in Mexico.
- keep doing → Siguen estudiando. = They keep studying.
Seguir + Gerundio: Keep Doing Something
This pattern is gold. Use seguir + gerundio to say someone keeps doing something or is still doing it.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example 1 | Example 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| seguir + gerundio | to keep doing / still be doing | Sigo aprendiendo español. = I’m still learning Spanish. | ¿Sigues trabajando? = Are you still working? |
| seguir + lloviendo | to keep raining | Sigue lloviendo. = It’s still raining. | Va a seguir lloviendo toda la tarde. = It’s going to keep raining all afternoon. |
The gerund is the -ing form in English terms: trabajando, estudiando, viviendo, lloviendo. So sigo estudiando is “I keep studying” or “I’m still studying.” Nice and efficient.
Useful Phrases With Seguir
- seguir adelante = to keep going, move forward
Después del problema, seguimos adelante. = After the problem, we moved forward. - seguir con algo = to continue with something
Voy a seguir con mi tarea. = I’m going to continue with my homework. - seguir igual = to stay the same
Todo sigue igual. = Everything is still the same. - seguir en contacto = to stay in touch
Seguimos en contacto por WhatsApp. = We stay in touch on WhatsApp.
- seguir a alguien = to follow someone
Mucha gente sigue a esa cantante en redes. = Many people follow that singer on social media. - seguir una dieta = to follow a diet
Mi hermano sigue una dieta vegetariana. = My brother follows a vegetarian diet. - seguir las reglas = to follow the rules
Tenemos que seguir las reglas. = We have to follow the rules. - seguir buscando = to keep looking
Seguimos buscando el libro. = We keep looking for the book.
Practice Section
Try these before peeking at the answers. Yes, your brain will complain. Let it.
Choose The Best Meaning
- Sigo en la oficina.
Meaning: am I following the office, continuing the office, or still in the office? - Seguimos estudiando.
Meaning: do we follow studying, keep studying, or still study once a year and panic? - Sigue las instrucciones.
Meaning: is he still instructions, follows the instructions, or continues the instructions?
Swap The English For Spanish
- I still live in Mexico.
- Do you want to continue?
- They keep talking.
- We follow the teacher’s example.
Answers
- Choose the meaning: 1) still in the office, 2) keep studying, 3) follows the instructions
- Possible translations:
Sigo viviendo en México.
¿Quieres que sigamos?
Siguen hablando.
Seguimos el ejemplo de la profesora.
Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes
- Using ser or estar instead of seguir for “still”
Sigue cansado = He is still tired. That “still” idea often belongs to seguir. - Forgetting the stem change
It’s sigo, sigues, sigue, siguen, but seguimos. - Mixing up “follow” and “continue”
Use the context. Sigo a mi amigo = I follow my friend. Sigo con el libro = I continue with the book. - Using the infinitive after seguir when you need the gerund
Say sigo estudiando, not sigo estudiar.
Good shortcut: if English uses “still” or “keep doing,” there is a very good chance seguir belongs in the sentence.
Quick Reference Summary
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| seguir a + person | to follow | Sigo a mi amigo. = I follow my friend. |
| seguir + noun | to follow | Seguimos las reglas. = We follow the rules. |
| seguir | to continue | ¿Seguimos? = Shall we continue? |
| seguir + adjective / place | to still be | Sigue ocupado. = He is still busy. |
| seguir + gerundio | to keep doing / still be doing | Siguen hablando. = They keep talking. |
Final Yak
Seguir is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you notice it. Learn these four jobs first: follow, continue, still be, and keep doing. After that, Spanish starts sounding a lot less random and a lot more like a system instead of a prank.
