The main rule
The first verb is conjugated and tells you the phase; the second verb stays unchanged and gives the action. Seguir is the only one followed by the gerundio (sigo viviendo); the others take the infinitive. Four of them need a preposition before it: ponerse a, volver a, dejar de, estar a punto de; soler takes none. Do not drop or swap the preposition.
The six periphrases at a glance
| Periphrasis | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| soler + infinitive | usually, used to | Suelo cenar a las nueve. |
| ponerse a + infinitive | start (often suddenly or by decision) | Me puse a estudiar a las ocho. |
| seguir + gerundio | still, keep on | Sigo trabajando en el banco. |
| volver a + infinitive | again | Volvió a llamar. |
| dejar de + infinitive | stop, quit | Dejé de fumar. |
| estar a punto de + infinitive | be about to | El tren está a punto de salir. |
Soler: habits, in the present and the imperfecto
| Person | Present | Imperfecto |
|---|---|---|
| yo | suelo | solía |
| tú | sueles | solías |
| él, ella, usted | suele | solía |
| nosotros | solemos | solíamos |
| vosotros (Spain) | soléis | solíais |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | suelen | solían |
Soler describes what usually happens, never a single event. It is used almost only in the present and the imperfecto, and it has no future: not *soleré. For a future habit say Normalmente cenaré en casa, or just use the present. Solía ir is a past habit, like English "used to go" or "would go"; suelo ir is "I usually go".
Seguir: still, keep doing
| Person | Present | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | sigo | Sigo viviendo en Madrid. |
| tú | sigues | Sigues estudiando. |
| él, ella, usted | sigue | Sigue lloviendo. |
| nosotros | seguimos | Seguimos esperando. |
| vosotros (Spain) | seguís | Seguís trabajando. |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | siguen | Siguen durmiendo. |
English speakers translate "continue to live" and write *sigo vivir. In Spanish seguir works like "keep + -ing" or "still": Sigo viviendo en Madrid means the same as Todavía vivo en Madrid, and both are correct. For "still not", seguir sin + infinitive: Sigue sin llamar (He still hasn't called).
Ponerse a, volver a, dejar de, estar a punto de
Ponerse a marks a start, often sudden or decided, and needs the reflexive pronoun: me puse a, te pusiste a, se puso a. Empezar a is the neutral "start" and is often interchangeable (Empecé a estudiar a las ocho). Do not confuse it with ponerse + adjective, which is a different meaning: se puso nervioso (he became nervous).
Volver a + infinitive means "again", and English puts "again" at the end: Volvió a llamar is the same as Llamó otra vez. With a place, volver a means "go back to": Volví a casa. Dejar de + infinitive means "stop" or "quit": Ha dejado de llover. Estar a punto de + infinitive says that something is about to happen: Estaba a punto de salir cuando sonó el teléfono. A close neighbour is acabar de + infinitive, "have just": Acabo de llegar.
The contrast with English: English builds most of these with "keep", "stop", "start" or "be about to" plus an -ing form or "to". Spanish never uses -ing forms after these verbs except with seguir, and it almost always needs a small preposition (a or de) before the infinitive. Where English says "stop smoking", Spanish says dejar de fumar, with the infinitive.
Examples
- De niño solía ir al pueblo en verano. As a child I used to go to the village in summer.
- Mis padres suelen acostarse temprano. My parents usually go to bed early.
- De repente el niño se puso a llorar. Suddenly the boy started crying.
- Mi hermano sigue trabajando en el banco. My brother is still working at the bank.
- Seguimos esperando el autobús. We're still waiting for the bus.
- Ayer volvió a llamar a las diez. He called again yesterday at ten.
- Dejé de fumar hace dos años. I gave up smoking two years ago.
- Estoy a punto de salir, ¿te llamo luego? I'm about to leave, shall I call you later?
- Estaba a punto de dormirme cuando sonó el teléfono. I was just about to fall asleep when the phone rang.
Alternatives that are also correct
Several periphrases have a plain equivalent, and it is just as good: empezar a for ponerse a, otra vez for volver a, normalmente or the present for soler, todavía for seguir. The periphrasis is often shorter and sounds more natural; the choice is style, not correctness. Latin American Spanish also uses estar por for something about to happen.
Common mistakes
Sigo vivir en Madrid.Sigo viviendo en Madrid. after seguir comes the gerundioSigue a trabajar.Sigue trabajando. no preposition after seguirDejé de fumando.Dejé de fumar. de + infinitive, not an -ing formDejé fumar.Dejé de fumar. without de, dejar means "let" (Me dejan salir)Volvió llamar.Volvió a llamar. volver needs a before the infinitiveMe puse estudiar.Me puse a estudiar. ponerse needs aPuso a llover.Se puso a llover. ponerse a needs its reflexive pronounSoleré cenar tarde.Normalmente cenaré tarde. soler has no future
Questions and answers
How do you say "used to" in Spanish?
Use soler in the imperfecto: solía ir (I used to go). The plain imperfecto says the same (iba). For a single past event use the indefinido, never soler.
What is the difference between ponerse a and empezar a?
Both mean "start" and are often interchangeable. Ponerse a suggests a sudden or decided start and needs the reflexive pronoun; empezar a is neutral.
How do you say "keep doing" or "still" in Spanish?
Use seguir + gerundio: Sigo trabajando. Todavía trabajo has the same meaning, and seguir sin + infinitive means "still not".
Does dejar de take the infinitive or the gerundio?
The infinitive, always, with de: dejar de fumar. Spanish does not use the gerundio after dejar de, unlike English "stop smoking".
How do you say "about to" in Spanish?
Use estar a punto de + infinitive: El tren está a punto de salir. For the past, estaba a punto de + infinitive.
What is the difference between volver a and acabar de?
Volver a + infinitive means "again" (Volví a llamar), while acabar de + infinitive means "have just" (Acabo de llamar).