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- "Él siguió bebiendo."
32 Comments
You would put "Él siguió a beber" and it would mean he continued to drink. So it sort of means the same. But we are working with "ing's" =)
But wouldn't Spanish, with its more restricted use of the present participle compared to English, prefer the infinitive anyway to translate 'drinking'?
I have the same question.
My best guess is that perhaps the gerund form is form specific ongoing action, and the infinitive form is for a general act.
Like maybe saying "Él siguió beber" means he continued [the habit of] drinking. Like maybe he's an alcoholic.
And maybe saying "Él siguió bebiendo" means he continued drinking [in that moment]. Like you asked him to put the beer down, and he continued drinking it (bottle to lips, head tipped back).
Any thoughts/confirmation from anyone on that?
Just that when you say 'gerund' - a verbal noun - you mean the present participle of the verb ' to drink'. Gerunds can be qualified by articles, participles can't.
siguir= (to) continue going (to) go on |
sigue=follows |seguida/o/siguio – (he/she/it/you) continued/followed /taken/ consecutive | Seguiste – (you) followed
[She ‘follows’ the cigarette (sigue) to an early grave]
144
Doesn't it mean 'he continued (for example, to speak) while drinking'? In French, it'd more clear: 'Il a continué en buvant'.
No, that's not how seguir works in spanish in general. I think we would be more likely to say, "él siguió a hablar mientras bebía.
I feel it should be accepted, but for me it is more usual to say 'He kept on drinking . . ." I don't know if the absence of 'on' would make a difference or not, and I am not sure it's actually more common than simply 'kept." It just may be my personal way of expression. Regardless of whether or not they accept it, you definitely have the right idea, and that's the most important thing.
This is the kind of detail or subtlety that a non-native speaker like myself would miss. You're probably right and it does seem more natural. I do think Duolingo should support it.
- 662
He continued drinking is the same as he kept drinking and should be accepted. But not on 8-12-17 yet.
I cannot find any spanish dictionary source that translates seguir as to continue, except with con (as in siguio con bebiendo).
- 1126
@RicardoVerde1
It is in the dictionary. You just have to look in the right place. Are looking in the section regarding intransitive usage? This is right section of the dictionary where you should look.
followed= seguido continued= continuó/continuido . . . don't confuse me anymore than I already am!
love to have a different woman´s voice - she is sooooo hard to understand sometimes!!!
