seguir Preterite Conjugation
seguir — to follow
Seguir changes its stem to 'sig-' in the third-person forms (sigió, siguieron) in the preterite.
seguir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when 'seguir' describes a completed action in the past, such as following a specific instruction or continuing an activity for a defined period that has now ended.
Notes on seguir in the Preterite
This is a stem-changing -ir verb. In the preterite, the 'e' changes to 'i' only in the third-person singular (él/ella/usted) and third-person plural (ellos/ellas/ustedes).
Example Sentences
Seguí las instrucciones al pie de la letra.
I followed the instructions to the letter.
yo
Él siguió trabajando hasta muy tarde.
He continued working until very late.
él/ella/usted
Ellos nos siguieron por toda la ciudad.
They followed us through the whole city.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'seguio' or 'seguió' for the third person.
Correct: siguió
Why: The stem must change from 'e' to 'i' in the third person for this verb type.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: sigo
In the present tense, seguir undergoes an 'e' to 'i' stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect
yo: seguía
The imperfect of seguir is regular: seguía, seguías, seguía, seguíamos, seguíais, seguían.
Future
yo: seguiré
The future tense of seguir is regular: simply add the endings to the infinitive (seguiré, seguirás...).
Conditional
yo: seguiría
The conditional is regular: add the endings to the full infinitive (seguiría, seguirías...).
Present Subjunctive
yo: siga
The present subjunctive uses the 'sig-' stem for all persons: siga, sigas, siga, sigamos, sigáis, sigan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: siguiera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'sigui-' stem derived from the preterite: siguiera, siguieras, siguiera...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sigue
Give commands using 'sigue' (tú) or 'siga' (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no sigas
Negative commands always use the present subjunctive: no sigas, no siga, no sigamos.