continuons

Continuons is a French verb form derived from continuer, meaning to continue or to carry on. In everyday use, continuons primarily appears as the present indicative form for nous: nous continuons, meaning “we continue.” It can also function as the imperative in the first-person plural: Continuons!, meaning “Let us continue!” This exhortative use is common in speeches, meetings, and motivational contexts.

Grammatical details: the standard present tense forms of continuer are: je continue, tu continues, il/elle continue, nous continuons, vous continuez, ils/elles continuent. The imperative forms are continue (tu), continuons (nous), and continuez (vous). The word continuons therefore serves both a declarative sense (“we continue”) and an exhortative one (“let us continue”).

Etymology: continuer comes from Old French continuer, which in turn traces to Latin continuare or continuus, sharing the root element that means unbroken or continuous. The stem continu- appears in related words in Romance languages that express continuity or sequence.

Usage and nuance: continuons is used to describe ongoing actions or processes, such as projects, efforts, or narratives. The imperative form Continuons! acts as a call to persist, often in group settings or moral suasion. In written French, the distinction between the indicative and imperative forms is typically clarified by context and punctuation.

See also: continuer, continuation, continuous.