continúen

Continúen is a verb form derived from the Spanish verb continuar, meaning to keep going or to proceed. It has two primary grammatical uses: as the present subjunctive for the third-person plural (ustedes/ellos) and as the formal imperative for ustedes. In both cases, the form carries an accent on the ú to indicate the correct stress.

In the present subjunctive, the form continues the pattern of regular -ar verbs: continúe, continúes, continúe, continuemos, continuéis, continúen. Thus, continúen corresponds to ellos/ustedes in contexts like "que continúen" and is identical to the formal command for ustedes in direct address, as in "Continúen" when giving an order. The subjunctive is used in subordinate clauses expressing wish, doubt, necessity, possibility, or emotion, for example: “Espero que continúen con el proyecto” or “Es posible que continúen trabajando.”

Orthographically, continúen carries a tilde on the ú to preserve the pronunciation and stress pattern within the subjunctive ending. This distinction helps differentiate it from other forms and maintains the standard Spanish accent rules.

Regional usage varies mainly in formality and address. In Latin American Spanish, ustedes commonly take this form for both the subjunctive and the imperative. In Spain, the vosotros forms would appear in other person-number combinations (for example, continuéis in the present subjunctive), while continúen remains the ustedes/ellos form of these moods.

Etymology: continúen comes from continuar, which derives from Latin continuare, built from continuo and the suffix -are, linking to the idea of keeping something in progress. Related forms in other moods and persons share the same root with appropriate endings.