sigue adelante
/siɡe adelante/from spelling rules
To say 'keep moving forward' in Spanish, use sigue adelante.
The phrase is used to encourage someone to continue making progress or to persevere despite difficulties. While it can be used to describe physical movement, such as telling someone to keep walking forward, it is most commonly used in a metaphorical sense to mean 'don't give up'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb seguir (to follow or continue) and the adverb adelante (forward or ahead).
Which one should you use?
Sigue adelante can refer to both physical movement and metaphorical perseverance.
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a single person, the form depends on formality: use sigue adelante for informal situations and siga adelante for formal situations. If you are encouraging a group of people rather than one person, use the plural form sigan adelante.
How do you pronounce it?
/siɡe adelante/
Did you know?
- The word seguir in sigue adelante comes from the Latin word for 'following a track' or 'hunting'.
- The word adelante can also be used as a command to pass someone in a crowded space, similar to saying 'after you' or 'go ahead' in English.
- If you are using 'adelante' to mean 'forward', you are using a word that shares a deep linguistic history with the English word 'ante', as seen in 'antechamber'.
Examples in context
- Aunque sea difícil, sigue adelante.Even if it is difficult, keep moving forward.
- No te detengas, sigue adelante con tus planes.Don't stop, keep moving forward with your plans.
- Si quieres lograr tus metas, sigue adelante.If you want to achieve your goals, keep moving forward.
Example conversation
Alejandro is feeling discouraged after a work setback and Sofía encourages him.
- SofíaSé que es un mal momento, Alejandro.I know it is a bad moment, Alejandro.
- AlejandroNo sé si pueda continuar con el proyecto.I don't know if I can continue with the project.
- SofíaPor favor, sigue adelante, tú puedes hacerlo.Please, keep moving forward, you can do it.
- AlejandroTienes razón, lo intentaré de nuevo.You are right, I will try again.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries adelante, CC BY-SA 4.0.
