perseverar
verbCEFR B1
What does “perseverar” mean in English?
to persevere, to keep going
to persevere, to keep going (despite difficulty, in study or learning)
Example sentences
Aprender a leer en otro alfabeto requiere semanas de práctica constante; quienes perseveran sin desanimarse son los que al final lo consiguen de forma natural.
Learning to read in another alphabet requires weeks of constant practice; those who persevere without getting discouraged are the ones who eventually manage it naturally.
Aunque los primeros meses fueron muy frustrantes, decidí perseverar en el aprendizaje del árabe porque sabía que la dificultad era temporal.
Even though the first months were very frustrating, I decided to persevere in learning Arabic, because I knew the difficulty was temporary.
El tutor le dijo que perseverara y que no abandonara el curso, ya que los resultados de los últimos exámenes mostraban una mejora clara.
The tutor told him to persevere and not to give up the course, since the results of the last exams showed a clear improvement.
How to use it
Perseverar means 'to persevere' — to continue steadily with an activity despite difficulty, setbacks, or slow progress. It is intransitive at B1 and commonly used absolutely (persevera = keep going) or with en (perseverar en el estudio, perseverar en el esfuerzo). It sits in a slightly formal register compared to aguantar (informal: to put up with, to stick it out) or seguir adelante (keep going, neutral). In language learning contexts it often appears with aunque (even though) followed by the subjunctive when referring to hypothetical difficulties, or the indicative when referring to real ones.
Common mistake
Perseverar en takes en before the activity, not a direct object: 'perseverar en el estudio', not '*perseverar el estudio'. In informal speech, aguantar or seguir adelante are more natural — perseverar can sound slightly over-formal or moralistic in casual conversation. Reserve it for written or semi-formal contexts.