Overview
The Spanish verb seguir means to follow, to continue, or to keep doing something. It is an irregular verb primarily used in everyday conversation and writing. Its irregularity lies mainly in the stem change and conjugation patterns, which are important to master for fluency.
Verb Type
Seguir is an -ir verb with stem changes in certain forms. It follows a pattern where the stem vowel changes from e to i in the present tense, present subjunctive, and other forms. It also has a spelling change in the first person singular present indicative to maintain pronunciation.
Present Tense Conjugation
The present tense of seguir is irregular due to stem changes. The stem changes from e to i in all forms except nosotros and vosotros. Additionally, the first person singular ends with -go instead of the regular -o ending.
| Spanish Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Conjugation | Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | sigo | I follow | Yo sigo tus instrucciones. | I follow your instructions. |
| tú | sigues | you follow | Tú sigues mi consejo. | You follow my advice. |
| él/ella/usted | sigue | he/she/you follows | Él sigue el camino correcto. | He follows the right path. |
| nosotros/as | seguimos | we follow | Nosotros seguimos adelante. | We follow ahead. |
| vosotros/as | seguís | you all follow | Vosotros seguís las reglas. | You all follow the rules. |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | siguen | they/you all follow | Ellos siguen la tendencia. | They follow the trend. |
Preterite Tense Conjugation
In the preterite, seguir is also irregular. It changes the stem from e to i but only in the third person singular and plural. The endings follow the preterite -ir verb pattern for irregulars.
| Spanish Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Conjugation | Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | seguí | I followed | Seguía tus pasos con cuidado. | I followed your steps carefully. |
| tú | seguiste | you followed | Tú seguiste el plan. | You followed the plan. |
| él/ella/usted | siguió | he/she/you followed | Ella siguió las instrucciones. | She followed the instructions. |
| nosotros/as | seguimos | we followed | Nosotros seguimos al guía. | We followed the guide. |
| vosotros/as | seguisteis | you all followed | Vosotros seguisteis el camino. | You all followed the path. |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | siguieron | they/you all followed | Ellos siguieron la ruta correcta. | They followed the correct route. |
Imperfect Tense Conjugation
The imperfect of seguir is regular, following the -ir verb imperfect endings and no stem change.
| Spanish Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Conjugation | Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | seguía | I was following | Yo seguía tus movimientos. | I was following your movements. |
| tú | seguías | you were following | Tú seguías al perro. | You were following the dog. |
| él/ella/usted | seguía | he/she/you were following | Él seguía el consejo. | He was following the advice. |
| nosotros/as | seguíamos | we were following | Nosotros seguíamos el plan. | We were following the plan. |
| vosotros/as | seguíais | you all were following | Vosotros seguíais al entrenador. | You all were following the coach. |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | seguían | they/you all were following | Ellos seguían la señal. | They were following the signal. |
Subjunctive Present
In the present subjunctive, seguir also has the stem change e to i for all forms.
| Spanish Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Conjugation | Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | siga | that I follow | Quiero que yo siga el camino. | I want that I follow the path. |
| tú | sigas | that you follow | Espero que tú sigas mis consejos. | I hope that you follow my advice. |
| él/ella/usted | siga | that he/she/you follow | Ojalá que él siga la señal. | Hopefully he follows the signal. |
| nosotros/as | sigamos | that we follow | Es importante que sigamos las reglas. | It's important that we follow the rules. |
| vosotros/as | sigáis | that you all follow | Dudo que vosotros sigáis el plan. | I doubt you all follow the plan. |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | sigan | that they/you all follow | Quiero que ellos sigan el proyecto. | I want them to follow the project. |
Common Uses
Seguir is frequently used to express following someone or something, continuing an action or condition, and in idiomatic expressions like seguir adelante (to go ahead, to continue forward) or seguir + gerund to mean continuing an action (e.g., sigo estudiando - I keep studying).
Summary
Mastering seguir involves understanding its stem changes, irregular first person present form, and contextual uses. It is essential for talking about direction, continuation, or persistent actions in Spanish. Practice conjugating it in different tenses to gain confidence.
