seguir
Seguir means to follow AND to continue — and the structure 'seguir + gerund' is one of the most useful in Spanish.
seguir (follow)
Physical following, following instructions, and following on social media.
Sígame, por favor.
Follow me, please.
Physical direction — follow the person. Formal command.
No me sigas en redes.
Don't follow me on socials.
Digital following. Seguir is the standard verb for social media follows.
Sigue las instrucciones.
Follow the instructions.
Following rules, recipes, instructions — always seguir.
seguir (continue)
Seguir + gerund = to keep doing, to still be doing. One of the most natural structures in Spanish.
Sigo estudiando español.
I'm still studying Spanish. / I keep studying Spanish.
Seguir + gerund is elegant. 'Continúo estudiando' also works but seguir is more colloquial and warm.
¿Sigues viviendo en Madrid?
Are you still living in Madrid?
Checking if a state continues. Very natural way to catch up with someone.
Sigue recto y luego gira a la derecha.
Go straight on and then turn right.
Sigue (imperative) for directions — continue straight. Not 'continúa recto' which works but sounds stiff.
Tricky bit
Seguir + gerund vs seguir + infinitive: 'sigo estudiando' (I keep studying — ongoing) vs the infinitive after seguir doesn't work. Also: 'seguir sin + infinitive' = to still not be doing: 'sigo sin entenderlo' = I still don't understand it. Extremely useful negative continuation.