Past Continuous

Express actions that were in progress at a specific moment in the past

What is Past Continuous?

The past continuous (also called past progressive) paints a picture of what was happening at a specific moment in the past. It emphasizes the ongoing nature of a past action – you were in the middle of it! Use it to set scenes, describe backgrounds, and show interrupted or parallel actions.

While simple past tells you what happened ("I ate dinner"), past continuous shows you what was happening ("I was eating dinner when you called"). It's like pressing pause on a past moment and describing what you see.

When to Use

1. Actions in Progress at a Specific Past Time

Use past continuous to describe what was happening at a particular moment in the past.

At 8 PM last night, I was watching TV.
This time yesterday, we were flying to Paris.
At noon, she was having lunch with a client.
When you called, I was taking a shower.
Yesterday at 3 PM, they were playing football.
Last Monday morning, he was sleeping in.

2. Interrupted Actions (When + Simple Past)

Use past continuous for a longer action that was interrupted by a shorter action (simple past).

I was reading a book when the phone rang. (reading = longer/interrupted)
She was cooking dinner when the power went out.
They were walking home when it started to rain.
We were having a meeting when the fire alarm sounded.
He was driving to work when he had an accident.
I was sleeping when you knocked on the door.

3. Two Parallel Actions (Both in Progress at the Same Time)

Use past continuous for two actions happening simultaneously in the past.

While I was studying, my roommate was watching TV.
She was cooking while he was cleaning the house.
The kids were playing while the adults were talking.
I was working on my laptop while she was reading a book.
They were laughing and joking the whole time.

4. Atmosphere and Background Description

Use past continuous to set the scene or describe the background in stories.

The sun was shining, birds were singing, and people were smiling.
It was raining heavily. The wind was blowing.
Everyone was talking and laughing. Music was playing.
The room was dark. Something was making a strange noise.

5. Showing Change or Development

Use past continuous with "always" to describe annoying or surprising repeated past behavior.

She was always complaining about something. (repeatedly/annoyingly)
He was always arriving late to meetings.
They were always forgetting to lock the door.
My phone was constantly dying back then.

Formation

Positive Form: Subject + was/were + verb-ing

I was working from home.
You were sleeping soundly.
He was reading a newspaper.
She was writing an email.
It was raining all day.
We were watching a movie.
They were playing cards.

Negative Form: Subject + was/were + not + verb-ing

I wasn't paying attention.
You weren't listening to me.
He wasn't working yesterday.
She wasn't feeling well.
It wasn't raining when I left.
We weren't expecting you.
They weren't studying last night.

Question Form: Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?

Was I bothering you?
Were you waiting long?
Was he telling the truth?
Were they listening?
What were you doing at 10 PM?
Where was she going?
Why were they laughing?

Common Mistakes

❌ I was work yesterday. → ✅ I was working yesterday.
❌ They was studying. → ✅ They were studying. (they = were)
❌ She were reading. → ✅ She was reading. (she = was)
❌ We was playing football. → ✅ We were playing football.
❌ I was knowing the answer. → ✅ I knew the answer. (stative verbs don't use continuous)
❌ He was having a car. → ✅ He had a car. (possession = stative)
❌ When it rained, I was walking. → ✅ When it rained, I was walking. OR I was walking when it rained.

Practice Tips

⏰ Specific time = Past Continuous: "At 8 PM last night..." or "This time yesterday..." trigger past continuous. They ask "What was happening at that moment?"
🎬 Storytelling formula: Past continuous sets the scene, simple past moves the story: "The sun was shining. Birds were singing. Suddenly, a man ran past me."
⚡ When = Interruption: When you see "when" with two past actions, usually the longer action uses past continuous, the shorter uses simple past: "I was eating when you called."
⏸️ While = Both Continuous: "While" often connects two past continuous actions happening at the same time: "While I was cooking, she was setting the table."
✍️ Yesterday at this time: Write 5 sentences about what you were doing at specific times yesterday: "At 7 AM, I was sleeping. At 1 PM, I was eating lunch..."