The Past Continuous (also called Past Progressive) is used to talk about actions that were in progress at a specific moment in the past. It describes ongoing activities that were happening over a period of time.
How to Form the Past Continuous
The Past Continuous is formed using:
Subject + was/were + verb-ing
- I/He/She/It → was + verb-ing
- You/We/They → were + verb-ing
Examples:
- I was studying when you called.
- They were playing tennis yesterday afternoon.
- She was reading a book at 8 PM.
When to Use the Past Continuous
- Actions in progress at a specific time in the past
- At 7 o’clock yesterday, I was having dinner.
- This time last year, I was living in Paris.
- Actions in progress when another action happened (often with “when” or “while”)
- I was watching TV when the phone rang.
- While I was cooking, my friend arrived.
In these examples, the Past Continuous (was watching, was cooking) describes the longer action that was interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past (rang, arrived).
- Two actions happening at the same time in the past
- While I was studying, my sister was playing the piano.
- They were talking while I was trying to concentrate.
- To describe the atmosphere or set the scene in a story
- The sun was shining and birds were singing.
- When I arrived, everyone was working hard.
Negative Statements
To make a negative statement, add “not” after was/were:
- I was not (wasn’t) sleeping.
- They were not (weren’t) listening to me.
Questions
For yes/no questions, invert the subject and was/were:
- Was she studying?
- Were they working?
- What were you doing at 10 PM?
- Where was he going when you saw him?
Common Time Expressions with Past Continuous
- at 8 o’clock yesterday
- when I woke up
- while they were sleeping
- all evening
- the whole day
- from 6 to 7 PM
Examples in Context
- Setting the scene:
- When I arrived at the party, some people were dancing, others were talking, and a few were eating snacks.
- Interrupted actions:
- I was taking a shower when the doorbell rang.
- While she was walking home, it started to rain.
- Parallel actions:
- While my mother was cooking dinner, my father was watching the news.
Remember!
Not all verbs are commonly used in continuous forms. State verbs like believe, know, understand, like, love, and have (meaning possession) are usually used in the simple form.
- She knew the answer. (Not: She was knowing)
- I had a car at that time. (Not: I was having a car)
Now, let’s practice what you’ve learned with the exercises below!