The Imperfect Tense of continuar is used to describe ongoing 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 that verb type.

Conjugations

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

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

Ongoing action in the past: For example, Continuaba estudiando cuando mi hermano llegó. (I was continuing to study when my brother arrived.)

Habitual or repeated action in the past: For example, De niño, continuaba jugando al fútbol todos los días. (As a child, I continued playing soccer every day.)

Idiomatic usage: For example, ¡Continúa así y te vas a meter en problemas! (Keep it up and you’re going to get into trouble!)

Colloquial usage: For example, ¿Vas a continuar jodiendo o qué? (Are you going to keep messing around or what?)

Examples

Examples of Continuar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo continuaba caminando por la ciudad a pesar del calor sofocante. (I kept walking around the city despite the stifling heat.)

Ella continuaba trabajando en su proyecto aunque ya era muy tarde. (She kept working on her project even though it was very late.)

Nosotros continuábamos buscando un lugar para comer después de recorrer la ciudad. (We kept looking for a place to eat after exploring the city.)

Tú continuabas insistiendo en ir a esa fiesta aunque yo no quería. (You kept insisting on going to that party even though I didn’t want to.)

Ellos continuaban discutiendo sobre política sin llegar a un acuerdo. (They kept arguing about politics without reaching an agreement.)

La lluvia continuaba cayendo sin parar, arruinando nuestros planes al aire libre. (The rain kept pouring down, ruining our outdoor plans.)

Aunque el equipo continuaba perdiendo, los fanáticos no perdían la esperanza. (Even though the team kept losing, the fans didn’t lose hope.)

Mi hermana continuaba estudiando hasta altas horas de la noche para su examen. (My sister kept studying until late at night for her exam.)

El tráfico continuaba fluyendo lentamente debido a un accidente en la autopista. (Traffic kept flowing slowly due to an accident on the highway.)

Mis padres continuaban preocupados por mi futuro a pesar de mis esfuerzos. (My parents kept worrying about my future despite my efforts.)

La banda continuaba tocando aunque el público ya se había ido. (The band kept playing even though the audience had already left.)

El rumor continuaba extendiéndose rápidamente por toda la ciudad. (The rumor kept spreading quickly throughout the city.)

Aunque el negocio continuaba creciendo, los dueños no estaban satisfechos. (Even though the business kept growing, the owners were not satisfied.)

La película continuaba siendo un éxito en taquilla después de varias semanas. (The movie kept being a box office success after several weeks.)

El chef continuaba experimentando con nuevas recetas para el menú del restaurante. (The chef kept experimenting with new recipes for the restaurant’s menu.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.