Which one should you use?
While a continuación is the standard way to announce what is coming next, you can also use seguidamente to mean "next" or "immediately following" in a sequence. If you want to say "coming soon," use Próximamente. If you mean something is "about to happen," use A punto de suceder. For the sense of something happening "shortly" in a formal context, use En breve. In a colloquial setting, you can use En un rato to express that something will happen shortly.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
a continuación is a formal way to transition between segments in programs or presentations. Other formal options include Próximamente for "coming soon", En breve for "shortly" and A punto de suceder for "about to happen". For a more casual or colloquial tone, use En un rato.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, en un momento and enseguida are commonly used to convey the idea of "coming up" or "coming soon".
How do you pronounce it?
/a kontinwaˈθjon/
Did you know?
- In formal Spanish presentations, a continuación is often accompanied by a physical gesture of the hand moving forward or sweeping across to signal the transition to the next topic.
- While a continuación is a standard broadcast term, using enseguida in Spain can sometimes be a polite way of saying something will happen soon without committing to a specific time.
- The word continuación shares a common ancestor with the English word 'continue', as both trace back to the Latin 'continuare'.
Examples in context
- La conferencia está prevista próximamenteThe conference is scheduled to happen soon
- El informe será presentado en breveThe report will be presented shortly
- La ceremonia está a punto de sucederThe ceremony is about to happen
- El clima, a continuación.The weather, coming up next.
- Escuchen la noticia que sigue a continuación.Listen to the news coming up next.
Example conversation
A radio host and a producer talk before a broadcast.
- MateoSofía, el reportaje viene a continuación.Sofía, the report is coming up next.
- SofíaPerfecto, Mateo, ya estoy lista.Perfect, Mateo, I am ready.
- MateoA continuación, la música del invitado.Coming up next, the guest's music.
- Sofía¡Que comience el programa!Let the program begin!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry a continuación, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, continuación, CC BY-SA 4.0.
