Continuer is the most common and straightforward way to say “to continue” in French. But did you know there are several other fantastic options? As you progress in your French learning journey, you’ll find that using a variety of verbs can add nuance, formality, or simply more engaging expression to your conversations and writing. Let’s dive into 9 different ways to express “to continue” in French!

The standard and most common way – continuer

Continuer is the most direct, versatile, and common verb for "to continue" in French.

As a regular -ER verb, continuer follows a straightforward conjugation pattern, making it relatively easy to use in various tenses.

When continuer is followed by an infinitive verb, it typically uses the preposition à. This construction means "to continue to do something" or "to keep doing something." For example, continuer à parler (to continue to speak).

Alternatively, continuer can also be followed by the preposition de before an infinitive. This construction, continuer de faire quelque chose, also means "to continue to do something" or "to keep doing something." It is often considered slightly more formal or literary than continuer à but is largely interchangeable in many contexts.

Continuer can also take a direct object, meaning "to continue something." For instance, continuer un projet (to continue a project) or continuer la conversation (to continue the conversation).

While both continuer à and continuer de are grammatically correct when followed by an infinitive, continuer à is generally more prevalent in everyday spoken French. The choice between à and de rarely changes the meaning significantly.

This verb is highly versatile and can be used in a wide range of situations, from literally continuing a physical action to continuing a task, a journey, a conversation, or even a state of being.

💡 * Il continue à travailler malgré la fatigue. (He continues to work despite the fatigue.)

Elle a continué de lire son roman jusqu'au bout. (She continued reading her novel until the end.)

Nous devons continuer nos efforts pour atteindre cet objectif. (We must continue our efforts to reach this goal.)

Continuez tout droit jusqu'au prochain carrefour. (Continue straight ahead until the next intersection.)

J'espère que vous continuerez votre apprentissage du français. (I hope you will continue your French learning.)

To continue an action, a journey, or a study – poursuivre

To continue an action, a journey, or a study – poursuivre

The verb poursuivre (pronounced 'poor-swee-vruh') translates directly to "to pursue" or "to continue." While continuer also means "to continue," poursuivre often carries a stronger sense of active pursuit, follow-through, or sustained effort towards a goal.

You'll use poursuivre when you want to express the idea of actively continuing an action or working towards a specific goal or objective. It implies a sustained effort, rather than just a simple resumption.

This verb is also perfectly suited for describing the act of continuing a journey, a path, or a course. Whether it's a physical trip or a metaphorical journey, poursuivre emphasizes moving forward along a designated route.

In academic and professional contexts, poursuivre is commonly used to talk about continuing studies, a degree, or a career path. It highlights the ongoing commitment to an educational or professional trajectory.

The key distinction for poursuivre is its emphasis on active pursuit. While continuer can mean to simply resume something, poursuivre implies a more deliberate and often goal-oriented continuation, as if you are 'chasing' the next step.

Poursuivre is an irregular verb, but it follows a consistent pattern for verbs ending in '-suivre'. Its past participle is poursuivi, and it conjugates with avoir in compound tenses.

💡 * Il a décidé de poursuivre ses études à l'étranger. (He decided to continue his studies abroad.)

Nous devons poursuivre nos efforts pour atteindre cet objectif. (We must continue our efforts to reach this goal.)

Le cycliste a poursuivi sa route malgré la pluie. (The cyclist continued his way despite the rain.)

Elle poursuit une carrière dans la recherche scientifique. (She is pursuing a career in scientific research.)

Malgré les obstacles, ils ont poursuivi leur rêve. (Despite the obstacles, they pursued their dream.)

To resume an activity after a pause or interruption – reprendre

When you need to express the idea of resuming an activity after a pause or interruption in French, the verb you're looking for is reprendre.

Reprendre literally translates to 'to take again' or 'to take back,' but its most common and important meaning in this context is 'to resume,' 'to restart,' or 'to take up again.' It's perfect for when an action or process was halted and is now being continued.

As an irregular -RE verb, reprendre conjugates similarly to its root verb prendre ('to take'). While it follows a predictable pattern based on prendre, it's important to remember its irregular nature, especially in the present tense.

You'll find reprendre incredibly useful in daily conversation for situations like resuming work after a break (reprendre le travail), restarting a hobby (reprendre un sport), continuing a discussion (reprendre la discussion), or even going back to school (reprendre les études).

Unlike verbs that simply mean 'to return' (like retourner or revenir), reprendre specifically emphasizes the continuation of an action or state that was previously in progress. It's about picking up where you left off, rather than just physically returning to a place or person.

💡 * Je vais reprendre le travail après mes vacances. (I will resume work after my vacation.)

Elle a repris ses études en septembre. (She resumed her studies in September.)

Nous devons reprendre la conversation où nous l'avons laissée. (We need to resume the conversation where we left it.)

Il a repris le sport après une longue pause. (He resumed sports after a long break.)

Reprenez votre souffle ! (Catch your breath! / Take your breath back!)

To maintain a state, an effort, or a course of action – maintenir

The verb maintenir directly translates to 'to maintain,' 'to keep,' or 'to uphold' in English. It implies continuity and preservation.

It is used when something needs to be kept in a certain condition, position, or level, preventing it from changing or falling.

Maintenir also applies to abstract concepts, such as sustaining an effort, upholding a promise, or preserving a belief or a course of action.

As a derivative of tenir (to hold), maintenir follows a similar irregular conjugation pattern, making it essential to learn its forms.

💡 * Il faut maintenir la pression. (We must maintain the pressure.)

Nous devons maintenir nos efforts. (We must sustain our efforts.)

Elle maintient sa position. (She maintains her position.)

Maintenez la porte fermée, s'il vous plaît. (Keep the door closed, please.)

Ils maintiennent une bonne relation. (They maintain a good relationship.)

To extend the duration of something, to prolong – prolonger

The French verb prolonger is your go-to word for expressing the idea of 'to prolong' or 'to extend the duration of something' in English. It's a fundamental term for discussing time, length, and continuity.

Essentially, prolonger means to make something last longer. This can apply to periods of time, events, situations, or even physical lengths, though its primary use is temporal.

You'll encounter prolonger in various everyday scenarios: extending a deadline (prolonger un délai), prolonging a stay (prolonger un séjour), or making a pleasant moment last longer. It always implies an intentional action to increase duration.

As a regular verb ending in -ER, prolonger is relatively easy to conjugate. It follows typical patterns, making it accessible for French learners. Remember it takes a direct object.

When you want to convey the action of making something continue for a longer period than originally planned or desired, prolonger is the precise and correct verb to use.

💡 * Il faut prolonger le contrat de travail. (We need to extend the employment contract.)

Nous avons décidé de prolonger notre séjour d'une semaine. (We decided to extend our stay by a week.)

Ne prolonge pas inutilement cette discussion. (Don't unnecessarily prolong this discussion.)

Le médecin a prolongé son arrêt maladie. (The doctor extended his sick leave.)

J'espère pouvoir prolonger ces moments de bonheur. (I hope to be able to prolong these happy moments.)

To persist in an effort despite difficulties – persévérer

The French verb persévérer directly translates to "to persevere," "to persist," or "to keep at it." It signifies the act of continuing an effort or undertaking despite difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

This verb carries a strong positive connotation, highlighting qualities like determination, resilience, and steadfastness. It's commonly used in contexts of learning, personal growth, professional endeavors, or any situation requiring sustained effort over time.

As an intransitive verb, persévérer is often followed by prepositions like dans (in) or à (to) when specifying the area or action of persistence. For example, one might persévérer dans ses études (to persevere in one's studies) or persévérer à apprendre une langue (to persevere in learning a language).

From persévérer, we derive the feminine noun la persévérance (perseverance) and the adjective persévérant(e) (persevering, persistent). These terms are frequently used to describe the quality itself or a person who exhibits it.

💡 * Il faut persévérer pour atteindre ses objectifs. (One must persevere to reach one's goals.)

Malgré les échecs, elle a persévéré dans son projet. (Despite the failures, she persevered in her project.)

Nous devons persévérer à chercher la solution. (We must persevere in seeking the solution.)

C'est grâce à sa persévérance qu'il a réussi. (It's thanks to his perseverance that he succeeded.)

Un étudiant persévérant finira toujours par maîtriser la matière. (A persevering student will always end up mastering the subject.)

To move forward, to make progress, to keep going – aller de l'avant

The French expression aller de l'avant literally translates to 'to go to the front,' but it's used to mean to move forward, to make progress, or to keep going.

This idiomatic phrase often implies a sense of resilience and determination, suggesting the act of pushing past difficulties or setbacks to continue making progress in life, a project, or a situation.

As it uses the verb aller (to go), remember to conjugate aller according to the subject, while de l'avant remains unchanged.

💡 * Malgré les difficultés, il faut aller de l'avant. (Despite the difficulties, one must move forward.)

Après la rupture, elle a décidé d'aller de l'avant. (After the breakup, she decided to move on/keep going.)

Nous devons aller de l'avant avec ce projet. (We must move forward with this project.)

C'est difficile, mais nous allons de l'avant. (It's difficult, but we are making progress/keeping going.)

Pour réussir, tu dois toujours aller de l'avant. (To succeed, you must always keep moving forward.)

To hold on, to keep going strong, especially in a difficult situation – tenir bon

The French expression tenir bon literally translates to “to hold good,” but its true meaning is to hold on, to keep going strong, or to persevere, especially when faced with adversity.

This phrase is powerfully evocative, often used to encourage someone to remain steadfast or not give up during difficult times, whether it’s a tough project, a personal struggle, or a challenging period in life.

It's important to note that tenir is an irregular verb, meaning its conjugation changes. Bon acts adverbially here, modifying the verb tenir, making the entire phrase an idiomatic expression rather than tenir followed by an adjective.

Tenir bon is a testament to resilience and determination, a common and encouraging phrase you'll hear in everyday French when someone needs to show courage and persistence.

💡 * Il faut tenir bon, la fin est proche. (You have to hold on, the end is near.)

Malgré les difficultés, elle a tenu bon. (Despite the difficulties, she held strong/persevered.)

Nous devons tenir bon face à cette crise. (We must keep strong/hold on in the face of this crisis.)

Tiens bon! On est avec toi. (Hold strong! We are with you.)

To keep alive or sustain something over time, to perpetuate – perpétuer

The French verb perpétuer directly translates to 'to perpetuate' in English. It means to keep something alive, to sustain it over a long period, or to make it continue indefinitely.

As a transitive verb, perpétuer is typically followed by a direct object. It is often used to refer to the continuation of traditions, memories, values, or even injustices. For example, one might perpétuer une tradition (to perpetuate a tradition).

The reflexive form, se perpétuer, means 'to be perpetuated' or 'to continue' on its own. It implies that something is sustaining itself or being passed down through generations. For instance, Les coutumes se perpétuent (Customs are perpetuated/continue).

Perpétuer often carries a connotation of legacy, remembrance, or the transmission of something important from one generation to the next. It can be used in both positive contexts (e.g., perpétuer la paix) and negative ones (e.g., perpétuer un stéréotype).

Some common expressions include perpétuer le souvenir de quelqu'un (to keep someone's memory alive) or perpétuer une injustice (to perpetuate an injustice). It's a formal verb, generally used in written language or elevated speech.

💡 *Il faut perpétuer nos traditions. (We must perpetuate our traditions.)
*Cette légende s'est perpétuée de génération en génération. (This legend has been perpetuated from generation to generation.)
*Le musée cherche à perpétuer la mémoire des victimes. (The museum seeks to perpetuate the memory of the victims.)
*Les inégalités sociales se perpétuent souvent. (Social inequalities often perpetuate themselves.)
*Elle a décidé de perpétuer le nom de son père. (She decided to perpetuate her father's name.)

Are there other ways to say 'to continue' in French?

Our list covers the most common and versatile ways to say 'to continue' in French. However, the French language is rich with nuances, offering a variety of expressions that might convey subtle differences in formality, context, or emphasis, from more literary terms to everyday idioms.

To explore further, you might do an online search for 'synonymes de continuer' or 'expressions pour poursuivre' to uncover more specialized or idiomatic phrases related to continuation and progress.

As with any new vocabulary, when you encounter these alternative expressions, always make sure to check their precise definition and observe how they are used in various contexts before integrating them into your own French.

Immerse yourself by paying close attention as you read, watch, and listen to authentic French content. You'll naturally pick up on different verbs and phrases used to express the idea of 'continuing' in various situations.

For a comprehensive list of synonyms and related terms for 'continuer' and 'poursuivre', the entries on WordReference.com or Larousse.fr are excellent starting points for further exploration.

I hope this article has helped you expand your French vocabulary for 'to continue'. Remember, learning a language is a journey, not a destination. As the French proverb says, Petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid (Little by little, the bird builds its nest), encouraging steady progress.

9 ways to say "to continue" in French