The preterite of continuar is used to express when an action continued at a specific point in the past. For example, “He continued working despite the rain” – “Continuó trabajando a pesar de la lluvia.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. Note that while it ends in -uar, it follows regular patterns without any spelling changes.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Continuar (to continue) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | continué |
| Tú | continuaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | continuó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | continuamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | continuasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | continuaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Continuar (to continue) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Continuar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of continuar indicates when something proceeded or kept going.
To continue: Used for indicating that an action proceeded, for example Continué trabajando (I continued working), or Continuaron el proyecto (They continued the project).
To proceed: Describes moving forward with something, for example Continuamos con la reunión (We proceeded with the meeting).
Examples
Examples of Continuar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Continué trabajando después de la pausa. (I continued working after the break.)
La lluvia continuó toda la noche. (The rain continued all night.)
¿Continuaste con tus estudios? (Did you continue with your studies?)
Continuamos el viaje al día siguiente. (We continued the journey the next day.)
Los problemas continuaron por meses. (The problems continued for months.)
El proyecto continuó según lo planeado. (The project continued as planned.)
Continuaste adelante a pesar de las dificultades. (You continued forward despite the difficulties.)
La música continuó hasta el amanecer. (The music continued until dawn.)
Continuamos la conversación por horas. (We continued the conversation for hours.)
Las negociaciones continuaron sin éxito. (The negotiations continued without success.)
Continué mi rutina normal. (I continued my normal routine.)
La obra continuó durante el verano. (The construction continued during summer.)
Continuamos la tradición familiar. (We continued the family tradition.)
Los actores continuaron con la escena. (The actors continued with the scene.)
¿Por qué continuaste sin mí? (Why did you continue without me?)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Continuar (to continue) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo continué | I continued |
| Tú continuaste | You continued |
| Él / Ella / Usted continuó | He / She / You (formal) continued |
| Nosotros / Nosotras continuamos | We continued |
| Vosotros / Vosotras continuasteis | You all continued |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes continuaron | They / You all (formal) continued |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.