seguir

Seguir is a Spanish verb that generally means to follow, to pursue, or to continue. It can refer to physically following a person or thing, to adhering to a rule or plan, or to the continuation of an action or state. The verb is highly productive in idiomatic expressions such as seguir adelante (to go ahead), seguir con (to continue with), or seguir de cerca (to follow closely).

Etymology and related forms: Seguir comes from Latin sequi, sequi-, meaning to follow. It is cognate with other Romance languages’ verbs for “to follow,” such as seguir in Portuguese and French suivre, and it has given rise to related nouns like seguidor (follower) and seguimiento (follow-up or tracking).

Conjugation: Seguir is irregular in the present tense, with yo sigo, tú sigues, él/ella sigue, nosotros seguimos, vosotros seguís, ellos siguen. In the preterite it forms seguí, seguiste, siguió, seguimos, seguisteis, siguieron, where the third-person forms involve a stem change to siguió/siguieron. The imperfect is regular: seguía, seguías, seguía, seguíamos, seguíais, seguían. The present subjunctive is siga, sigas, siga, sigamos, sigáis, sigan. The imperative affirmative is sigue (tú), siga (usted), sigamos, seguid, sigan; negative forms use no sigas, no siga, no sigamos, no sigáis, no sigan.

Usage examples: Physical following — “El perro me siguió hasta la puerta.” Continuation — “Debemos seguir las instrucciones.” Following a rule — “Debes seguir la receta al pie de la letra.” Progressive aspect — “Sigo estudiando” (I am still studying). Seguimiento and seguidor are common derivatives in contexts like media, sports, and social networks.