seguir
“seguir” means “to follow” in Spanish. It has 4 different meanings depending on context:
to follow
Also: to trail, to go after
📝 In Action
El detective siguió al sospechoso por toda la ciudad.
A2The detective followed the suspect all over the city.
¡Sigue ese coche!
A2Follow that car!
Camina despacio, no te puedo seguir.
B1Walk slowly, I can't follow you.
to continue, to keep doing
Also: to carry on, to go on
📝 In Action
Si sigues trabajando así, tendrás mucho éxito.
A2If you keep working like this, you'll be very successful.
La fiesta siguió hasta las cinco de la mañana.
B1The party continued until five in the morning.
Perdón por la interrupción, por favor, sigue.
A2Sorry for the interruption, please, continue.
to follow
Also: to obey, to take, to pursue
📝 In Action
Para montar el mueble, tienes que seguir las instrucciones.
B1To assemble the furniture, you have to follow the instructions.
Siempre sigo los consejos de mi madre.
B1I always follow my mother's advice.
Ella quiere seguir una carrera en medicina.
B2She wants to pursue a career in medicine.
to still be
Also: to remain
📝 In Action
¿Sigues enojado conmigo?
B1Are you still mad at me?
Sigo sin entender el problema.
B2I still don't understand the problem.
A pesar del tratamiento, el paciente sigue enfermo.
B1Despite the treatment, the patient is still sick.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
🔀 Commonly Confused With
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "seguir" in Spanish:
to continue→to follow→to obey→to pursue→to remain→to take→to trail→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: seguir
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence means 'I keep trying to learn Spanish'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'sequī', which means 'to follow'. You can see the family resemblance in English words like 'sequence' (one thing following another) and 'consecutive'.
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'seguir' and 'continuar'?
They are very similar and often interchangeable when they mean 'to continue'. However, 'seguir' is generally more common in everyday conversation. 'Continuar' can sound a bit more formal. Also, only 'seguir' has the other meanings like 'to follow someone' or 'to still be'.
Why does 'yo sigo' have an 'i' but 'nosotros seguimos' has an 'e'?
'Seguir' is a 'stem-changing' verb. For many of these verbs, the vowel change happens for all forms *except* 'nosotros' (we) and 'vosotros' (you all, in Spain). Think of it like a boot shape on the conjugation chart – the forms inside the 'boot' change, and the two outside ('nosotros', 'vosotros') stay the same.