fortsetzten

Fortsetzen is a German verb meaning to continue or resume an action after an interruption. It is used when a process, activity, story, or sequence is carried on from a previous point. The prefix fort- combines with setzen (to set), and the verb is separable in the present tense (ich setze fort, du setzt fort, er setzt fort).

In everyday and formal language, fortsetzen appears in constructions such as “Ich setze die Arbeit fort” (I will continue the work) or “Wir müssen das Gespräch fortsetzen” (We must continue the conversation). In perfect tense, the past participle is fortgesetzt, usually with haben: “Sie hat das Projekt fortgesetzt.” The verb belongs to the class of separable-prefix verbs, so in main clauses the prefix is separated from the finite verb.

The noun Fortsetzung is commonly used to denote the continuation or sequel of something, such as a story, a series, or a plan. The act of continuing can also be described with the noun das Fortsetzen, though Fortsetzung as a noun is more prevalent in everyday language. Related synonyms include weiterführen and fortfahren, which convey similar meanings with slight nuance.

Note on spelling: the correct spelling of the verb is fortsetzen. A frequent misspelling is fortsetzten. The related past participle is fortgesetzt. Thus, accurate usage depends on distinguishing the verb fortsetzen from its nominal forms Fortsetzung and, less commonly, das Fortsetzen.