¡sigue así!
/ˈsiɡe aˈsi/word by word
To say "keep up the good work!" in Spanish, use ¡sigue así!
This phrase is used to encourage someone to continue performing well or to maintain positive behavior. While it is a common way to say "keep up the good work", it is more literally translated as "keep going like this" and can be applied to both specific performance and general behavior.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal combination of the imperative sigue (continue or follow) and the adverb así (like this or this way).
Which one should you use?
¡sigue así! is a common way to express the sentiment, translating more closely to "keep going like this."
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, people may prefer using Sigue así de bien instead of Sigue así. In Argentina, the sentiment of "don't stop doing it so well" can be expressed informally as Seguí así nomás or Seguí así, ¡que la estás rompiendo!
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a single person formally, change sigue to siga to form ¡siga así! To address a group of people, use the plural form ¡sigan así!
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈsiɡe aˈsi/
Did you know?
- In Argentina, the phrase ¡que la estás rompiendo! literally means 'you are breaking it', but it is a high compliment used to tell someone they are doing an amazing job.
- The Spanish así evolved from the Late Latin phrase ac sīc, which combined the conjunction ac and the adverb sīc.
- While ¡sigue así! is encouraging, changing the intonation or context can turn it into a sarcastic remark, similar to saying 'keep it up' when someone is making a mistake.
Examples in context
- Has mejorado mucho, ¡sigue así!You have improved a lot, keep it up!
- Tu proyecto es excelente, ¡sigue así!Your project is excellent, keep it up!
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (sigue, así) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries así, CC BY-SA 4.0.
