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Seguir, conseguir… y perseguir: tres verbos que inspiran Hola, ¿qué tal? Buenos días, buenas tardes o buenas noches, según el lugar en donde estés o la hora en la que nos escuches Bienvenidos al episodio 236 de 5 minutos de español. Gracias por escucharnos semana a semana y por participar en nuestros talleres o clases tanto en línea como aquí, en Los Cabos. Hoy vamos a hablar de verbos nuevamente. En español, hay verbos que suenan bonitos y además te ayudan a comunicar cosas importantes. Es el caso de: seguir, conseguir y perseguir. Todos tienen un toque de movimiento o transformación: uno sigue, otro consigue lo que quiere, y a veces, hay que perseguir lo que queremos. ¡Y lo mejor es que puedes usarlos todos los días! Y todos vienen del verbo seguir ¿Qué significa seguir?   End of free content. To continue, please LOG IN. If you don't have a subscription, please CLICK HERE to sign up to this program.

English

To follow, to get, and to chase: three verbs that inspire

Hello, how are you? Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening—depending on where you are or what time you’re listening.

Welcome to episode 236 of 5 Minutes of Spanish. Thank you for listening week after week and for joining our workshops and classes, whether online or right here in Los Cabos.

Today, we’re talking about verbs again. In Spanish, some verbs not only sound nice but also help you express powerful ideas. That’s the case with: seguir, conseguir, and perseguir.

They all carry a sense of motion or transformation—one follows, another gets what they want, and sometimes, you have to chase after what you desire.

And the best part? You can use them every day!

All three come from the verb seguir. So, what does seguir mean?

The verb seguir means:

To follow (seguir a alguien o algo):
Sigo a Spanish in Cabo en YouTube.
I follow Spanish in Cabo on YouTube.

To continue doing something (seguir + gerund):
Sigo aprendiendo español.
I keep learning Spanish.

To go after:
El coche seguía al autobús
. The car was following the bus.

We also use seguir to talk about the order of something:
La siguiente canción es mi favorita.
The next song is my favorite.

What does conseguir mean?

Conseguir is like getting or achieving something, especially if it’s not easy.

Conseguir – to get
Obtener – to obtain
Lograr – to achieve

Conseguí boletos para el concierto.
I got tickets for the concert.

¿Pudiste conseguir una cita con el médico?
Were you able to get a doctor’s appointment?

Si estudias mucho, puedes conseguir una beca.
If you study a lot, you can get a scholarship.

What does perseguir mean?

In English: to chase, to pursue, to persecute

To go after someone or something in order to catch it.

It’s a verb of movement and intention.
La policía persigue al ladrón por las calles del centro.
The police are chasing the thief through downtown streets.

To pursue a goal or dream with determination:
Desde niño, persigue el sueño de ser astronauta.
Since he was a child, he has pursued the dream of becoming an astronaut.

No podemos dejar de perseguir la justicia.
We cannot stop pursuing justice.

It can also mean to harass or persecute someone repeatedly.
It can have a negative or violent connotation.

Ella se siente perseguida por sus compañeros de trabajo.
She feels persecuted by her coworkers.

Or it could refer to a child being bullied at school—someone who is constantly harassed or followed. That’s a serious issue, and sadly, many kids struggle to keep up or even remain in school because of it.

Let’s go over some useful grammar with these three verbs:

In the present tense:

Yo sigo buscando trabajo.
I keep looking for a job.

Consigo agua en esa tienda.
I get water at that store.

El perro persigue al gato.
The dog chases the cat.

Seguir, conseguir, and perseguir are irregular in the first person singular (yo sigo, consigo, persigo) and also have a vowel change from e to i in some forms.

In the past tense:

Seguí caminando, aunque llovía.
I kept walking even though it was raining.

Conseguimos entradas para el cine.
We got movie tickets.

Phrases and expressions with these verbs:

Perseguir un objetivo/sueño/meta = To pursue a goal/dream

Ser perseguido por alguien = To be persecuted by someone

Related words you might hear every day:

Siguiente – next
La siguiente clase es mañana.
Next class is tomorrow.

Seguimiento – follow-up
Vamos a hacer un seguimiento del proyecto.
We’ll follow up on the project.

Seguidor / seguidora – follower
Tengo 3,000 seguidores en Instagram.
I have 3,000 followers on Instagram.

Proseguir – to continue
Vamos a proseguir con el podcast.
Let’s continue with the podcast.

To wrap up with some energy, here are a few final thoughts:

El que sigue, la consigue…
The one who keeps going, gets it…

…and if you chase your dreams, you’re already happy on the journey.

Learning these verbs doesn’t just help you speak better Spanish—it also prepares you for life:

Follow your path, chase your dreams, and if you don't get everything you expect, enjoy your journey—everything comes!

See? Seguir and conseguir aren’t just verbs.

They’re life lessons: if you keep going, you can achieve incredible things.
Don’t stop! Keep learning Spanish!

See you in class or in one of our workshops—or in the next episode.

If you liked this podcast, share it with your friends!

And follow us on social media—we’re on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp!

See you soon!

Bye-bye!

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