Japanese grammar
What does ～つづける mean? Japanese grammar N4
～つづける means to continue ~, to keep ~ing.
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N4 |
|---|---|
| Structure | V masu stem + つづけます |
| Romaji | ~ tsuzukeru |
| Meaning | to continue ~, to keep ~ing |
Forming it
| Kanji | Can be written both as 読み続ける and 読みつづける |
|---|---|
| How to form | Drop ます and add つづける: 走ります → 走りつづける、待ちます → 待ちつづける |
| Further conjugation | つづける is a GROUP 2 verb: つづけます、つづけた、つづけて、つづけない |
| Corresponding intransitive verb | ～つづく (続く) — used for natural phenomena: 雨が降りつづく |
How to use it
Emphasizing that an action continues without interruption.
- つづける emphasizes the CONTINUITY, the uninterrupted nature of an action. 「3時間走りつづけました」= ran continuously for 3 hours straight, without a break. If you just say 「3時間走りました」, there could have been breaks in between.
- Because it emphasizes continuity, this pattern often goes with expressions of a long duration: 3時間、朝から、ずっと、10年間.
- Distinguishing from ～ています: 「勉強しています」just describes a state happening at the moment of speaking. Meanwhile 「勉強しつづけています」emphasizes that it has been sustained over a long stretch and still hasn't stopped — much stronger emotionally.
- There's a transitive/intransitive pair: つづける (transitive — an active subject) and つづく (intransitive — it continues on its own). For natural phenomena, use つづく: 「雨が降りつづいています」(it keeps raining). For an intentional action, use つづける: 「彼は話しつづけました」.
- The opposite of ～つづける is ～やめる (to stop doing something): 「たばこを吸うのをやめました」. Note that やめる doesn't attach to the masu stem this way but needs のを.
Examples
3時間も走りつづけて、とても疲れました。
I kept running for three hours and got very tired.
彼は10年間、同じ会社で働きつづけています。
He has continued working at the same company for ten years.
朝から雨が降りつづいています。
It has been raining continuously since morning.
Keep in mind
- つづける is a group 2 verb — easily confused with つづく (group 1).
- Don't use つづける for an instantaneous action: you can't say 「死につづける」.
Common mistakes
-
Wrongこの工事は3年間つづけています。
This construction has continued for 3 years straight.
Correctこの工事は3年間つづいています。
つづける is a transitive verb, requiring a subject WITH INTENT actively "continuing to do" something. 工事 (construction) is not a person with the will to choose to continue — the event itself is simply "lasting" objectively, so the intransitive verb つづく must be used.
-
Wrong走るつづけました。
I kept running.
Correct走りつづけました。
Attach to the MASU STEM (走り), not the dictionary form. This is a common error across the whole group ～はじめる／～つづける／～なおす.
Exam tips
- Accompanying keywords: ずっと、～時間、～年間、朝から → suggest ～つづける.
- Remember the pair つづける (intentional) / つづく (natural).