Spanish flag

'Sigue lloviendo' and other verbs followed by a gerund

In English, keep and go around are followed by an -ing form, but continue and start can also take to: you can say "it continued to rain". Spanish has a group of verbs that work differently. When they describe how an action unfolds over time, they are followed only by a gerund, the -ndo form: sigue lloviendo, continúa lloviendo, anda diciendo, voy aprendiendo.

English speakers often reach for an infinitive here, or for a + infinitive, because "continue to" sounds so natural. The result is a typical mistake like sigo a estudiar or continúa llover. With these verbs, the gerund is the only option.

Word list
andarA1 to walk anda diciendo = he goes around saying irA1 to go voy aprendiendo = I'm gradually learning venirA1 to come vengo diciendo = I've been saying (for a while) acabarA2 to end acabó aceptando = he ended up accepting pasarA2 to spend pasé la tarde leyendo = I spent the afternoon reading quedarseA2 to stay me quedé leyendo = I stayed reading terminarA2 to end terminamos hablando = we ended up talking continuarB1 to continue continúa lloviendo = it keeps raining permanecerB1 to stay permaneció esperando en la puerta = he stayed waiting at the door seguirB1 to continue sigo estudiando = I keep studying
How it works

The pattern is simple: conjugate the first verb and add the gerund of the main verb, with no preposition in between. The first verb no longer carries its everyday meaning. Instead, it tells you how the action happens: whether it carries on, builds up gradually, wanders around or ends up somewhere.

To form the gerund, add -ando to -ar verbs (estudiando) and -iendo to -er and -ir verbs (lloviendo, viviendo). A few gerunds are irregular, such as diciendo, durmiendo and leyendo.

Rule of thumb: if the English sentence could use "keep", "still", "gradually", "go around" or "end up", Spanish probably wants one of these verbs + -ndo.

The words
Carrying on: seguir and continuar

seguir and continuar both mean that something is still going on. seguir is the everyday choice. continuar sounds a little more formal.

Sigue lloviendo desde ayer.
(It's been raining nonstop since yesterday.)
Los precios continúan subiendo este año.
(Prices are continuing to rise this year.)
Gradual change: ir and venir

ir + gerund describes progress that happens little by little. venir + gerund describes something that has been going on for a while, up to now.

Mi español va mejorando poco a poco.
(My Spanish is gradually getting better.)
Vengo diciendo lo mismo desde hace meses.
(I've been saying the same thing for months.)
Going around: andar

andar + gerund means going around doing something, often with a slightly critical or casual tone.

Tu hermano anda diciendo que te vas a mudar.
(Your brother is going around saying you're moving.)
Staying and spending time: quedarse and pasar

quedarse + gerund means staying put while doing something. pasar + a period of time + gerund means spending that time doing something.

Me quedé leyendo hasta las dos.
(I stayed up reading until two.)
Pasamos la tarde jugando a las cartas.
(We spent the afternoon playing cards.)
Ending up: acabar and terminar

acabar and terminar + gerund mean ending up doing something, often after some resistance.

Al final acabó aceptando el trabajo.
(In the end he ended up accepting the job.)
Siempre terminamos hablando de fútbol.
(We always end up talking about football.)
Watch out

Watch out for acabar: acabar de + infinitive means "to have just done", which is a different idea. Acabo de comer means "I've just eaten", but acabé comiendo means "I ended up eating". The same goes for terminar de + infinitive, which means "to finish doing".

Never put a after seguir or continuar in this meaning. Say sigo trabajando, not sigo a trabajar. Fixed expressions like quedarse mirando (to stare) follow the same pattern.

llevar works in the same way when it counts elapsed time: llevar + a period of time + gerund is the natural way to say "have been doing something for".

Llevo dos horas esperando.
(I've been waiting for two hours.)
Summary

When a verb describes how an action unfolds, such as carrying on (seguir, continuar), building up gradually (ir, venir), going around (andar), staying or spending time (quedarse, pasar) or ending up (acabar, terminar), follow it directly with the -ndo form. Use no infinitive and no a: sigue lloviendo, never sigue a llover.