Past Continuous is a tense used to describe actions that were in progress at a specific moment in the past or around the same time as another action.
The Past Continuous tense expresses actions that were ongoing or in progress at a particular time in the past. It can also set the scene for another action or describe two actions happening simultaneously.
- Formed with was/were + verb + -ing
- Describes actions in progress at a specific past time
- Can indicate two simultaneous past actions
- Often used with time expressions like while, when, *as
- Sets the background scene in past narratives
How It’s Made
The Past Continuous tense uses the past tense of the verb to be (was/were) plus the -ing form of the main verb.
- Subject + was/were + verb + -ing
Subject Pronouns | Past Continuous Form
--- | ---
I | I was + verb-ing
You | You were + verb-ing
He/She/It | He/She/It was + verb-ing
We | We were + verb-ing
They | They were + verb-ing
Él estaba ___ (leer).
What is the correct Past Continuous form of 'He (to read)'?
He was reading
The correct form is 'He was reading' (was + reading). 'Read' is incorrect because we need the -ing form, and 'were' is wrong for singular 'He'.
Usage
The Past Continuous is used for:
- Actions in progress at a specific past time
- At 6 p.m. I was cooking dinner.
- Two actions happening at the same time in the past
- She was reading while I was writing.
- An action interrupted by another past action
- I was watching TV when the phone rang.
- Setting the scene in a story
- The wind was howling outside as we sat by the fire.
Time Expressions
These words and phrases often signal the use of Past Continuous:
- while (two actions at the same time)
- when (one action interrupts another)
- as (simultaneous actions)
- at [time] (specific past time)
- all night/day/morning (duration of past action)
Examples
Affirmative | Negative | Question
--- | --- | ---
I was studying. | I wasn’t studying. | Was I studying?
They were playing. | They weren’t playing. | Were they playing?
She was sleeping. | She wasn’t sleeping. | Was she sleeping?
Common Mistakes
- I was wrote a letter. (wrong verb form)
- I was writing a letter. (correct - use verb + -ing)
- She were cooking. (wrong auxiliary)
- She was cooking. (correct - use was with singular subjects)
- They was playing. (wrong auxiliary)
- They were playing. (correct - use were with plural subjects)
- Was cooking she? (incorrect word order)
- Was she cooking? (correct question form)
Summary
The Past Continuous tense describes actions that were happening at a specific time in the past, two past actions happening simultaneously, actions interrupted by another past action, and sets the scene for storytelling. It is formed with was/were + verb + -ing.
Example Sentences
- I was walking to school when it started to rain.
- We were listening to music all evening.
- She was talking on the phone while cooking dinner.
- They were playing soccer at 4 p.m. yesterday.
- He was writing an email when the computer crashed.
- The children were sleeping when the guests arrived.
- I wasn’t feeling well, so I stayed home.
- Were you working late last night?
- While I was studying, my brother was watching TV.
- The sun was setting as we walked along the beach.
Were you working late last night?
¿Estabas trabajando hasta tarde anoche?
'Were you working' is the Past Continuous question form, asking about an ongoing action in the past.
Last updated: Thu Jun 5, 2025
