Continuar
to continue / to keep on
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | continuo | Eu continuo estudando todos os dias. — I keep on studying every day. |
| você/ele/ela | continua | Ela continua morando no mesmo bairro. — She continues living in the same neighbourhood. |
| nós | continuamos | Nós continuamos amigos depois de tudo. — We remain friends after everything. |
| eles/elas | continuam | Eles continuam trabalhando no mesmo projeto. — They continue working on the same project. |
Life goes on even when it feels like it won't. I keep waking up early, even after retiring — the body doesn't know how to stop. My mum keeps cooking for ten people, even though it's just her and my dad. We keep talking every day, even living in different cities. Some friends keep being the same as thirty years ago — those are the ones who stay.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | continuei | Eu continuei o curso mesmo com dificuldade. — I continued the course even with difficulty. |
| você/ele/ela | continuou | Ele continuou trabalhando depois da cirurgia. — He continued working after the surgery. |
| nós | continuamos | Nós continuamos a viagem mesmo com chuva. — We continued the trip even in the rain. |
| eles/elas | continuaram | Elas continuaram a reunião sem o diretor. — They continued the meeting without the director. |
The storm almost cancelled everything, but it didn't. I continued the presentation with half an audience and emergency lighting. The sound technician continued working in the dark. We continued the event for two more hours. The musicians continued playing until the last chord — it was the most beautiful show I've ever seen.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | continuava | Eu continuava estudando mesmo de madrugada. — I used to keep studying even in the early hours. |
| você/ele/ela | continuava | Ela continuava sorrindo mesmo nos dias difíceis. — She used to keep smiling even on hard days. |
| nós | continuávamos | Nós continuávamos a conversa pelo telefone por horas. — We used to continue the conversation on the phone for hours. |
| eles/elas | continuavam | Eles continuavam jogando mesmo depois do sinal. — They used to keep playing even after the bell. |
In university days, everything had more resilience. I used to stay in the library until it closed. My classmate Vinícius used to keep studying in the early hours with coffee and determination. We used to keep going with group projects even when everyone wanted to give up. The most demanding professors used to continue the class even after the bell had rung — and no one complained.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou continuar | Vou continuar tentando até conseguir. — I'm going to keep trying until I succeed. |
| você/ele/ela | vai continuar | Ela vai continuar o tratamento por mais seis meses. — She's going to continue the treatment for six more months. |
| nós | vamos continuar | Vamos continuar essa conversa amanhã. — We're going to continue this conversation tomorrow. |
| eles/elas | vão continuar | Eles vão continuar o projeto no próximo semestre. — They're going to continue the project next semester. |
The podcast series isn't stopping here. I'm going to keep recording even with little time. My content partner is going to keep researching the topics. We're going to keep publishing every week, without fail. The listeners are going to keep following — they've asked for that more than once.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | continuarei | Continuarei defendendo essa causa. — I will continue defending this cause. |
| você/ele/ela | continuará | O programa continuará no próximo ano. — The programme will continue next year. |
| nós | continuaremos | Continuaremos investindo em inovação. — We will continue investing in innovation. |
| eles/elas | continuarão | As negociações continuarão na próxima semana. — The negotiations will continue next week. |
The communiqué was distributed to all employees: "The company will continue operating normally during the merger process. We will continue honouring all current contracts. The teams involved will continue receiving full support from the board. I will personally remain available to clarify any questions."
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | continuaria | Eu continuaria se soubesse que valeria a pena. — I would continue if I knew it would be worth it. |
| você/ele/ela | continuaria | Ela continuaria o curso se tivesse apoio. — She would continue the course if she had support. |
| nós | continuaríamos | Continuaríamos juntos se as circunstâncias fossem outras. — We would continue together if circumstances were different. |
| eles/elas | continuariam | Eles continuariam o projeto com mais financiamento. — They would continue the project with more funding. |
Sometimes you stop and think about what could have been. I would have continued in an artistic career if I'd had more courage at twenty. My friend Fábio would have continued living in Lisbon if his visa had been renewed. We would have continued as business partners if the market hadn't changed so fast. But life has no draft — and everything that would have continued shaped who we are today.
Continuar across the tenses
A short story using continuar in multiple tenses
Durante vinte anos, Dona Lúcia continuava abrindo a padaria às quatro da manhã. Continuava fazendo tudo na mão — o pão, o bolo, a saudade dos clientes. Ninguém pedia para ela parar. Ninguém ousava.
Hoje ela tem setenta e um anos e continua. Ontem continuou trabalhando mesmo com dor no joelho — "não posso decepcionar meus clientes". Continuamos indo lá toda manhã, eu e meu marido, como há quinze anos.
No próximo ano, quando a filha se formar, vai continuar — mas com ajuda. "Se Deus quiser, continuarei enquanto as mãos aguentarem," ela diz, enfarinhada.
Perguntei se continuaria mesmo sem precisar financeiramente. Ela não pensou um segundo: "Continuaria. Padaria não é trabalho — é razão de ser."
For twenty years, Dona Lúcia used to keep opening the bakery at four in the morning. She kept doing everything by hand — the bread, the cake, the customers' sense of belonging. Nobody asked her to stop. Nobody dared. Today she's seventy-one and keeps going. Yesterday she kept working even with a bad knee — "I can't disappoint my customers". We keep going there every morning, my husband and I, as we have for fifteen years. Next year, when her daughter graduates, she's going to keep going — but with help. "God willing, I will continue for as long as my hands hold out," she says, covered in flour. I asked if she would continue even if she didn't need the money. She didn't think for a second: "I would. A bakery isn't work — it's a reason to be."
Palavra has conjugation flashcards for continuar across all tenses, plus 2,000+ more cards covering vocabulary, grammar, and real-world phrases.
Try Palavra Free →