Past Continuous | Tenses | Grammar | English

The past continuous describes actions that were ongoing at a specific time in the past. It sets the scene and shows interruptions or simultaneous activities.

Usage

Use the past continuous to talk about actions in progress at a past moment, background scenes, and temporary past situations. It often pairs with the past simple for interruptions.

When do we use the past continuous tense?

For actions in progress at a specific past time

To talk about completed past events only

To describe background scenes in a past story

To give general facts about the past

Form

The past continuous is formed with was/were + verb‑ing. Use was for I/he/she/it and were for you/we/they.

Examples

Signal Words

Signal words like while, when, as, and time expressions help highlight past continuous actions and interruptions.

	English Signal Word	English Usage
	While	Indicates simultaneous actions
	When	Marks interruption
	As	Shows parallel events
	All night	Emphasizes duration

Summary

The past continuous paints pictures of past scenes and ongoing actions by using was/were + ‑ing, often with signal words and the past simple for interruptions.

Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025