Other Verbs with the Gerund: seguir, continuar, llevar, ir

Spanish: Otros verbos con gerundio: seguir, continuar, llevar e ir

Level: B1 Intermediate

Category: verbs

Explanation

You already know that estar + gerund describes an action in progress (estoy comiendo, I am eating). But the gerund (-ando / -iendo) also combines with other auxiliary verbs to add nuances of continuity, gradual progress, or duration. The four most useful are seguir, continuar, llevar, and ir. Seguir + gerund and continuar + gerund mean "to keep / to continue doing something". They show that an action has not stopped: Sigo estudiando espanol (I keep studying Spanish). Continuar is slightly more formal, but both work almost the same way. Remember that seguir has the stem change e->i (sigo, sigues, sigue) and that you never use the infinitive after seguir. Llevar + gerund expresses how long you have been doing something: Llevo dos anos viviendo en Madrid (I have been living in Madrid for two years). It is a very natural way to talk about duration, equivalent to "have been doing for / since". It almost always comes with a time expression. Ir + gerund describes gradual progress, something happening little by little: Voy aprendiendo el idioma (I am gradually learning the language). It suggests change or progressive advance. The gerund of ir itself is irregular: yendo. In all these structures the gerund stays unchanged; only the auxiliary verb is conjugated.

Examples

• Sigo esperando mi café con leche, por favor. - I am still waiting for my coffee with milk, please.
• Llevo veinte minutos esperando una mesa. - I have been waiting twenty minutes for a table.
• Continuamos sirviendo el desayuno hasta las once. - We continue serving breakfast until eleven.
• Voy aprendiendo el menú poco a poco. - I am gradually learning the menu little by little.
• ¿Sigues vendiendo entradas para el museo? - Are you still selling tickets for the museum?