The Past Continuous (Past Continuous), also known as Past Progressive (Past Progressive), is a tense used to indicate continuous actions that occurred in the past.
When to use Past Continuous?
Check the cases where Past Continuous should be used.
1. To express two or more actions that happen at the same time in the past
In this case, it is very common to use the word while .
Examples:
- I was reading a book while he was watching TV . (I was reading a book while he was watching TV).
- My father was washing the dishes while my mother was vacuumming the house. (My dad was doing the dishes while my mom was vacuuming the house.)
- While the girls were playing basketball, the boys were playing volleyball. (While the girls were playing basketball, the boys were playing volleyball.)
2. To express a continuous action in the past, which was already happening, when another more punctual occurred
In this case, the punctual action in the past is expressed by Simple Past .
Examples:
- I was watching Brazil’s game when the phone rang. (I was watching the Brazil game when the phone rang.)
- We were talking when the teacher arrived. (We were talking when the teacher arrived.)
- They were studying when somebody rang the bell. (They were studying when someone rang the bell.)
3. To express a habitual continuous action that occurred in the past
In this case, frequency adverbs such as those shown in the table below are generally used.
| Frequency adverbs | |
|---|---|
| constantly | constantly |
| often | often |
| rarely | rarely |
| occassionally | occasionally |
| weekly | weekly |
| monthly | monthly |
| yearly | annually |
Examples:
- He was constantly owing money to his friends. (He was constantly owing money to his friends.)
- She was often asking for help. (She was always asking for help.)
- They were always making the same mistakes. (They were always making the same mistakes.)
4. To establish a temporal relationship between a continuous action that took place in the past and the present moment
In this case, it is very common to use certain expressions of time.
Some of the most used are those indicated in the table below.
| Time expressions | |
|---|---|
| by this time | for this hour; for this season |
| yesterday | yesterday |
| last night | last night |
| last year | last year |
| last month | last month |
Examples:
- By this time last month, we were celebrating his graduation. (Last month, around this time, we were celebrating his graduation.)
- She is wearing a skirt today, but she was wearing a dress yesterday. (She is wearing a skirt today, but yesterday she was wearing a dress.)
- We were living in Miami last year. (We were living in Miami last year).
Past Continuous formation rules
The Past Continuous is formed by the union of auxilar verb to be conjugated in Simple Past (Past Simple) + gerund ( -ing plus a main verb).
The inflections of the verb to be in Simple Past are was and were .
Was is used with the third person singular ( he , she and it ) and were is used with other verbal people ( I , you , we and they ).
Check below the complete conjugation of the verb to be in Simple Past .
Verb to be
Since the verb to be is the auxiliary of Past Continuous , remember its conjugation in Simple Past :
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| I was | I was not / I wasn’t | Was I …? |
| You were | You were not / You weren’t | Were you …? |
| He was | He was not / He wasn’t | Was he …? |
| She was | She was not / She wasn’t | Was she …? |
| it was | It was not / It wasn’t | Was it …? |
| We were | We were not / We weren’t | Were we …? |
| You were | You were not / You weren’t | Were you …? |
| They were | They were not / They weren’t | Were they …? |
Affirmative Form
In the affirmative sentences in Past Continuous , the correct form of phrase construction is:
Subject + Verb to be in Simple Past + Main verb with –ing + Complement
Example : She was going to my house. (She was going to my house.)
Negative Form
In negative sentences, not is used after the verb to be . Observe the correct formation:
Subject + Verb to be in Simple Past + not + Main verb with –ing + Complement
Example : She was not going to my house. (She was not going to my house.)
Attention! (Pay Attention!)
In the negative form, the verb to be can be used in the contracted form :
| Full form | Contracted form |
|---|---|
| I was not | I wasn’t |
| You were not | You weren’t |
| He / She / It was not | He / She / It wasn’t |
| We were not | We weren’t |
| You were not | You weren’t |
| They were not | They weren’t |
Interrogative Form
In the formation of interrogative phrases, the following phrasal construction is used:
Verb to be in Simple Past + Subject + Main verb with –ing + Complement
Example : Was she going to my house? (Was she going to my house?)
Past Continuous conjugation example
Verb to go (go)
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| I was going | I was not going / I wasn’t going | Was I going …? |
| You were going | You were not going / You weren’t going | Were you going …? |
| He was going | He was not going / He wasn’t going | Was he going …? |
| She was going | She was not going / She wasn’t going | Was she going …? |
| It was going | It was not going / It wasn’t going | Was it going …? |
| We were going | We were not going / We weren’t going | Were we going …? |
| You were going | You were not going / You weren’t going | Were you going …? |
| They were going | They were not going / They weren’t going | Were they going …? |
Difference between Simple Past and Past Continuous
Some students of English have difficulty knowing when to use the Simple Past (Simple Past) and when to use the Past Continuous (Past Continuous).
The Simple Past (Simple Past) expresses actions or specific events that began and ended in the past; that have already happened.
Another situation that requires the use of Simple Past is the existence of a specific past tense in the sentence, for example, yesterday (yesterday), last week (last week), l ast month (last month), last year (last year) ).
Examples:
Affirmative Form : He visited his cousins last month. (He visited his cousins last month.)
Negative Form : He did not visit his cousins last month. (He didn’t visit his cousins last month .)
Interrogative Form : Did he visit his cousins last month? (Did he visit his cousins last month?)
The Past Continuous (Past Continuous) expressed continuous actions that occurred in the past.
If in a sentence there are two or more actions in the past, you need to identify which action started first and what other actions happened later.
The action that happens first is expressed by Past Continuous and the action that happens after is expressed by Simple Past .
Examples :
Affirmative Form : You were studying when he called. (You were studying when he called.)
Negative Form : You were not studying when he called. (You weren’t studying when he called.)
Interrogative Form : Were you studying when he called? (Were you studying when he called?)
Note that, in the phrases above, the action that started first is were studying and the action that occurred afterwards is he called (he called)
Exercises ( Exercises )
1 . Fill in the blanks with the Past Continuous of the verbs in parentheses:
a) She _______ (watch) TV when he called.View Answer
Correct answer: a) She was watching TV when he called.
The structure of Past Continuous is formed by the verb to be inflected in Simple Past + main verb conjugated in the gerund (- ing ).
The Simple Past inflections of the verb to be are was and were . Was is used with the third person singular ( he, she and it ) and were is used with other verbal people ( I , you , w and and they .)
Since the subject of the sentence is the third person of the singular (she = she), we use the was inflection .
Since the main verb indicated in parentheses ends in -ch , just add -ing to its ending.
b) When the phone rang, they _______ (write) a letter.
Answer
Correct answer: b) When the phone rang, they were writing a letter.
The structure of Past Continuous is formed by the verb to be inflected in Simple Past + main verb conjugated in the gerund (- ing ).
The Simple Past inflections of the verb to be are was and were . Was is used with the third person singular ( he, she and it ) and were is used with other verbal people ( I , you , w and and they .)
Since the subject of the sentence is the third person in the plural (they = them), we used the were inflection .
As the main verb indicated in parentheses ends in -e , just remove the e and add -ing à to the end of the verb.
c) He ______ (study) while she _______ (make) dinner.
Answer
Correct answer: c) He was studying while she was making dinner.
The structure of Past Continuous is formed by the verb to be inflected in Simple Past + main verb conjugated in the gerund (- ing ).
The Simple Past inflections of the verb to be are was and were . Was is used with the third person singular ( he, she and it ) and were is used with other verbal people ( I , you , w and and they .)
Since the subjects of the sentence are he (he) and she (she), we used the was inflection in both gaps.
To form the gerund of the main verbs in parentheses, we must follow the following rules:
- In verbs ending in y preceded by a consonant, we must add – ing . Thus, study becomes studying .
- In verbs ending in e , we must remove the e and add – ing . Thus, make becomes making .
d) ______ (you / speak) English?
Answer
Correct answer: d) Were you speaking English?
The structure of Past Continuous is formed by the verb to be inflected in Simple Past + main verb conjugated in the gerund (- ing ).
The Simple Past inflections of the verb to be are was and were . Was is used with the third person singular ( he, she and it ) and were is used with other verbal people ( I , you , w and and they .)
Since the subject of the sentence is you , we use the were inflection .
The phrase is an interrogative and, therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the pronoun you (which is in parentheses) must be used after a verb.
The Past Continuous interrogative is formed by the verb to be inflected in Simple Past + subject + main verb in the gerund.
e) He _______ (play / not) football.
Answer
Correct answer: e) He was not playing football. or He wasn’t playing football.
The structure of Past Continuous is formed by the verb to be inflected in Simple Past + main verb conjugated in the gerund (- ing ).
The Simple Past inflections of the verb to be are was and were . Was is used with the third person singular ( he, she and it ) and were is used with other verbal people ( I , you , w and and they .)
Since the subject of the sentence is he (he), we use the was inflection .
The sentence is a negative and, therefore, one should use the not after the was ( was not ) or the contracted form wasn’t .
2 . Which of the phrases below is on Past Continuous ?
a) I was not at home when she arrived.
b) My father was worried about your job.
c) Melissa and Juan are happy.
d) We have been being lovers.
e) I was being evil with my mom.
Answer
Correct alternative: e) I was being evil with my mom.
The structure of Past Continuous is formed by the verb to be inflected in Simple Past + main verb conjugated in the gerund (- ing ).
The Simple Past inflections of the verb to be are was and were . Was is used with the third person singular ( he, she and it ) and were is used with other verbal people ( I , you , w and and they .)
a) WRONG. The verb inflections of the sentence ( was not and arrived ) are conjugated in Simple Past , and not in Past Continuous. The Simple Past indicates specific actions in the past, while the Past Continuous indicates continuous actions.
In the phrase I was not at home when she arrived . (I was not at home when she arrived.), We noticed two specific actions: it was not home and she arrived .
b) WRONG. The verbal inflection of the phrase ( was worri ed ) is conjugated in Simple Past , and not in Past Continuous. The Simple Past indicates specific actions in the past, while the Past Continuous indicates continuous actions.
In the phrase My father was worried about your job . (My father was concerned about his job.), We noticed a punctual action: was worried .
c) WRONG. The verbal inflection of the phrase ( are happy ) is conjugated in the Simple Present , and not in the Past Continuous. The Simple Present indicates actions in the present, while the Past Continuous indicates continuous actions in the past.
In the phrase Melissa and Juan are happy . (Melissa and Juan are happy), we noticed an action in the present: are happy (they are happy).
d) WRONG. The verbal inflection of the phrase ( have been being ) is conjugated in the Present Perfect Continuous, and not in Past Continuous. The Present Perfect Continuous indicates continuous actions that began in the past and continue to date, while the Past Continuous indicates continuous actions in the past.
In the phrase We have been being lovers . (We have been lovers.), We realize that the action of being lovers started in the past and continues.
e) CORRECT. The verbal inflection of the phrase ( was being ) follows the structure of the Past Continuous : verb to be inflected in Simple Past ( was ) + main verb in the gerund ( being ).
In the phrase I was being evil with my mom . (I was being mean to my mother.), We realized that was being evil indicates continued action in the past.
3 . Conjugate the verb to be in the affirmative form of Past Continuous :
Answer
Right answer:
| Past Continuous : verb to be |
|---|
| I was being |
| you were being |
| he / she / it was being |
| we were being |
| you were being |
| they were being |
The structure of Past Continuous is formed by the verb to be inflected in Simple Past ( Simple Past ) + main verb in the gerund.
The Simple Past inflections of the verb to be are was and were .
In the exercise, the verb to be also serves as the main verb. The inflection of the verb to be in the gerund is being .
4 . Complete the sentences below with Past Continuous or Simple Past :
a) Tom ________ (to get) ready when Gina _______ (to arrive).
Answer
Correct answer: a) Tom was getting ready when Gina arrived .
In the phrase Tom was getting ready when Gina arrived . (Tom was getting ready when Gina arrived.), The two actions are in the past: was getting ready and Gina arrived (Gina arrived).
Was getting is flexed in Past Continuous as it is a continuous action in the past. In addition, this was the first of two actions to start.
The action that happens first is expressed by Past Continuous and the action that starts later is expressed by Simple Past . Arrived is the Simple Past inflection of the verb to arrive .
b) When I _______ (to get) home last night my mother ___________ (to prepare) dinner.
Answer
Correct answer: b) When I got home last night my mother was preparing dinner.
In the phrase When I got home last night my mother was preparing dinner . (When I came home last night, my mom was preparing dinner.), The two actions are in the past: got home and was preparing dinner .
Got home is inflected in Simple Past ( Simple Past ), as it is a punctual action in the past. In addition, this was the second of the two actions to start. Got is the Simple Past inflection of the verb to get .
The action that starts first, was preparing dinner , is expressed by Past Continuous and indicates continuous action in the past.
c) We ____________ (to watch) a movie when the doorbell _______ (to ring).
Answer
Correct answer: c) We were watching a movie when the doorbell rang .
In the phrase We were watching a movie when the doorbell rang . (We were watching a movie when the doorbell rang.), The two actions are in the past: were watching a movie (we were watching a movie) and the doorbell rang (the doorbell rang).
Were watching is inflected in Past Continuous (Past Continuous) because it is a continuous action in the past. In addition, this was the first of two actions to start.
The action that happens first is expressed by Past Continuous and the action that starts later is expressed by Simple Past . Rang is the Simple Past inflection of the verb to ring .
d) He ___________ (to walk) the dog when he _______ (to meet) his sister.
Answer
Correct answer: d) He was walking the dog when he met his sister.
In the phrase He was walking the dog when he met his sister. (He was walking the dog when he met his sister.), The two actions are in the past: was walking the dog ( met the sister ) and met his sister ( met his sister ).
Was walking is inflected in Past Continuous (Past Continuous) because it is a continuous action in the past. In addition, this was the first of two actions to start.
The action that happens first is expressed by Past Continuous and the action that starts later is expressed by Simple Past . Met is the Simple Past inflection of the verb to meet .
e) They ________ (to leave) the concert while the singer ______ still _______ (to sing).
Answer
Correct answer: e) They left the concert while the singer was still singing .
In the phrase They left the concert while the singer was still singing. (They left the show while the singer was still singing.), The two actions are in the past: left the concert (left the show) and was still singing (he was still singing).
Left is flexed in the Simple Past ( Simple Past ), as it is a punctual action in the past. In addition, this was the second of the two actions to start. Left is the Simple Past inflection of the verb to leave .
The action that starts first, was still singing , is expressed by Past Continuous and indicates continuous action in the past.