つづける - Grammar Discussion

Grammar Points
#1

to continue

Structure

  • Verb[stem] + 続ける

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#2

Could someone try to explain to me the difference between 続く and 続ける? I’m having trouble figuring out when you wouldn’t be continuing something, i.e. 続ける. You can’t continue nothing, so what is 続く used for? Maybe if someone told you to continue without specifying what, but then if 続ける is specifically transitive, how does that relate to this grammar point where there doesn’t seem to be an object?

Thanks!

#3

続く is when things continue on their own, like how this comment will go on for a few more sentences. 続ける is when someone actively continues something else. This grammar point covers its use as an auxiliary verb, where the preceding verb stem is what is being continued.

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#4

Thanks! You know when someone explains something to you and you can no longer see why you had trouble with it? :sweat_smile:

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#5

I tried answering a review using the continuous form of ~続ける and it was rejected:

Even if you give that dog a treat, it will continue to bark.

My proposition:

餌をあげても、その犬は鳴き続けているよ

I realized after the fact that 続ける in itself already carries the “continuation” part so it would be redundant, but I wonder if there’s any situation where 続けている would make sense?

#6

Hey @simias !

The main reason 続けている was not accepted here is because the would change the meaning of the translation to ‘Even if you give that dog a treat, is is still continuing to bark’, because it is using a different tense then the first part of the sentence, and it sounds as unnatural in Japanese as it does in English.

It would work if the sentence was さっきワンちゃんに餌をあげたのに、鳴き続けている。‘Even though I gave that dog a treat earlier, it is still barking (it ihas been continuously barking)’.

I hope that makes sense!

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#7

It does! Greatly appreciated!

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#8

I got this question:

Ongoing, Command
まっすぐ見て、___！(歩く)
Look straight, and continue walking !

why is the answer 歩き続けなさい? I thought it’d be 歩き続きなさい.

#9

because its つづける
なさい attaches to verb stem, which with つづける being an ichidan, would become つづけ. resulting in 続けなさい

you might be thinking of つづく which is its intransitive pair, as in 雨が続く

#10

you might be thinking of つづく which is its intransitive pair, as in 雨が続く

I was indeed, thank you!

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