The Imperfect Tense of continuar is used to describe continuous or repeated actions in the past, for example, Continuaba estudiando español cuando mi amigo llegó. (I was continuing to study Spanish when my friend arrived.)

Continuar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Continuar (to continue) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of continuar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

Ongoing action in the past: For example, Continuaba estudiando cuando sonó el timbre. (I was continuing to study when the bell rang.)

Repeated or habitual action in the past: For example, De niño, continuaba jugando hasta que se hacía de noche. (As a child, I would keep playing until it got dark.)

Idiomatic usage: For example, ¡Continúa así y verás lo que te pasa! (Keep it up and you’ll see what happens to you!)

Examples

Examples of Continuar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo continuaba leyendo el libro aunque estaba cansado. (I kept reading the book even though I was tired.)

Ellos continuaban hablando de política a pesar de que nadie más les prestaba atención. (They kept talking about politics even though no one else was paying attention to them.)

¿Continuabas trabajando en ese proyecto o lo dejaste a medias? (Were you still working on that project or did you leave it unfinished?)

La lluvia continuaba cayendo sin parar. (The rain kept pouring down without stopping.)

Aunque el camino era difícil, continuábamos caminando hacia nuestro destino. (Even though the path was difficult, we kept walking towards our destination.)

Vosotros continuabais discutiendo el tema sin llegar a ningún acuerdo. (You all kept discussing the topic without reaching any agreement.)

Ella continuaba esperando noticias de su familia a pesar del tiempo transcurrido. (She kept waiting for news from her family despite the time that had passed.)

Ustedes continuaban quejándose de todo, como de costumbre. (You all kept complaining about everything, as usual.)

El equipo continuaba entrenando duro para el próximo partido. (The team kept training hard for the next game.)

Yo continuaba buscando trabajo sin perder la esperanza. (I kept looking for a job without losing hope.)

Tú continuabas insistiendo en ir a esa fiesta, aunque nadie más quería ir. (You kept insisting on going to that party, even though no one else wanted to go.)

Nosotros continuábamos viajando por el mundo, disfrutando de cada nueva aventura. (We kept traveling around the world, enjoying every new adventure.)

Ellas continuaban estudiando hasta altas horas de la noche para aprobar el examen. (They kept studying until late at night to pass the exam.)

Él continuaba practicando su afición de tocar la guitarra en su tiempo libre. (He kept practicing his hobby of playing the guitar in his free time.)

Vosotros continuabais haciendo bromas pesadas, aunque a nadie le parecían graciosas. (You all kept making lame jokes, even though no one found them funny.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Continuar (to continue) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.