Continuar a or Continuar Fazendo? Two Portuguese Patterns
Learn two ways to describe continuing an action and notice which forms are common in Brazilian Portuguese.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
In Brazilian Portuguese, continuar + gerund is a common way to say that an action keeps going: continuar estudando (continue studying), continuar trabalhando (continue working).
Use continuar + gerund in Brazilian Portuguese
The gerund often ends in -ando, -endo, or -indo. It remains unchanged while the main verb continuar agrees with the subject.
Vou continuar estudando português.
I’m going to keep studying Portuguese.
Ela continua trabalhando em casa.
She continues working from home.
Vamos continuar praticando amanhã.
We’ll keep practicing tomorrow.
Recognize continuar a + infinitive
You may also encounter continuar a + infinitive, such as continuar a estudar. It is grammatical and more common in some varieties and contexts; in Brazilian speech, the gerund pattern is especially familiar.
Recognize both forms when reading or listening. When you are speaking Brazilian Portuguese, continue + gerund is a useful default pattern.
Continuamos a conversa depois do almoço.
We continued the conversation after lunch.
Ele continuou a trabalhar.
He continued to work.
Ela continuou falando com a professora.
She kept talking with the teacher.
Distinguish continuing from starting again
Continuar describes an action that carries on. Recomeçar means to start again, often after a pause. Choose the verb that matches whether the action never stopped or began again.
For descriptions of an action in progress right now, see our estar plus gerund guide.
Continue lendo; estou quase terminando.
Keep reading; I’m almost finished.
Depois do intervalo, vamos recomeçar a aula.
After the break, we’ll start the class again.
O filme continuou depois do anúncio.
The movie continued after the announcement.
Put it into practice
Describe one action you are continuing and one you are starting again. Choose continuar or recomeçar before building the sentence.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Keep reading; I’m almost finished”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.