Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Sigo editando la presentación porque el proyector falla a veces. - I keep editing the presentation because the projector fails sometimes.

In Spanish, you express “keep/continue doing” with seguir + gerundio. So sigo editando = I keep editing / I’m still editing. Seguir + infinitive doesn’t work for this meaning.

Can I just say estoy editando instead? What’s the difference?

Estoy editando states what you’re doing right now. Sigo editando adds the idea of continuation/persistence (you were doing it before and you’re still at it). If you want “still” with the progressive, say todavía estoy editando.

Could I use todavía or aún instead of seguir?

Yes:

Todavía/Aún estoy editando la presentación = I’m still editing (focus on “still”).
Sigo editando la presentación = I keep/continue editing (focus on ongoing continuation). Both are natural; seguir can feel a bit more deliberate.

Where is the subject pronoun yo? Is it required?

Spanish normally drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the subject. Sigo already means “I continue.” Use Yo sigo… only for emphasis or contrast.

How do I place the direct object pronoun for la presentación?

Two correct placements:

Before seguir: La sigo editando…
Attached to the gerund: Sigo editándola… When attaching, add a written accent to keep the stress: editándola.

Why is it la presentación and not mi presentación?

Spanish often uses the definite article when the referent is clear in context. La presentación can mean “the (known) presentation.” Use mi presentación if you need to specify it’s yours.

What are the genders of presentación and proyector?

Presentación is feminine: la presentación.
Proyector is masculine: el proyector.

What does falla mean here? Are there Latin American alternatives?

Fallar = to fail/malfunction. Common LA options:

no funciona (doesn’t work)
no sirve (doesn’t work/is useless; very common)
se descompone (breaks down; e.g., Mexico)
For freezing/jamming: se traba, se congela.

Where can I put a veces in the clause?

All are fine:

El proyector a veces falla.
A veces, el proyector falla.
El proyector falla a veces. Initial A veces can take a comma (optional) and adds slight emphasis.

Is a veces one word or two? Any synonyms?

It’s two words: a veces. Synonyms: algunas veces, de vez en cuando (less frequent), en ocasiones (more formal).

Which porque/por qué/porqué/por que is correct here?

Use porque (because). Quick guide:

porque = because: No fui porque estaba ocupado.
por qué = why: ¿Por qué falla el proyector?
el porqué = the reason: No entiendo el porqué.
por que = por + que (rare/structural): often replaced by por la que as in Esta es la razón por la que te llamé.

Do I need a comma before porque?

No comma in standard cause clauses: … la presentación porque el proyector falla… A comma can appear with an explanatory cause: No vino, porque estaba enfermo. You can also start with Como/Ya que for a more formal tone: Como el proyector falla a veces, sigo editando…

Is seguir irregular? How is it conjugated (present tense)?

Yes—stem change e→i and a spelling change in yo:

yo sigo
tú sigues
él/ella/usted sigue
nosotros seguimos
ustedes/ellos siguen Note sigo (not “siguo”) and no stem change in seguimos.

Is fallar transitive? Could I say the projector fails me?

Here it’s intransitive: El proyector falla. You can add an indirect object to show who is affected: El proyector me falla a veces (it fails on me sometimes).

What if I want to express purpose (so that it won’t fail), not cause?

Use para que + subjunctive: Sigo editando la presentación para que el proyector no falle. That’s purpose, not cause. Your original uses porque to give the cause.

Any pronunciation tips (Latin America) for tricky words here?

seguir: gu keeps a hard g before i → “seh-GEER.”
sigo: “SEE-go.”
presentación: “pre-sen-ta-SYON” (c before i sounds like s in LA).
proyector: “pro-yeh-TOR.”
Stress falls on the accented syllables (e.g., -ción in presentación).