Past Continuous
[A2] Past Continuous in English explains how to form and use the past continuous tense (was/were + verb-ing) to describe ongoing actions in the past. Learn its structure, usage, time expressions, and common mistakes.
Past Continuous
The past continuous describes an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past. It focuses on the middle of the action, not the beginning or end. Use it to set background situations, to show two actions happening at the same time, or to describe an ongoing action interrupted by a shorter event. It often answers the question What was happening at that time?
El pasado continuo describe una acción que estaba en progreso en un momento específico del pasado. Se centra en el medio de la acción, no en el inicio ni en el final. Úsalo para establecer situaciones de fondo, para mostrar dos acciones ocurriendo al mismo tiempo, o para describir una acción en curso interrumpida por un evento más corto. A menudo responde a la pregunta ¿Qué estaba pasando en ese momento?
Form
Form the past continuous with the past tense of be plus the -ing form: was or were + verb-ing. Choose was with I, he, she, it, and were with you, we, they. The -ing form is used for all verbs and does not change with the subject.
Forma el pasado continuo con el tiempo pasado del verbo 'to be' más la forma -ing: was o were + verbo-ing. Elige 'was' con I, he, she, it, y 'were' con you, we, ellos.
Subject | 🇪🇸 Español Sujeto | Form | 🇪🇸 Español Forma | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 I | 👤 Yo |  was + verb-ing | 🧩 was + verb-ing |  I was studying at 8 pm. | 🗣️ Yo estaba estudiando a las 8 p. m. |
| you | 👤 tú | were + verb-ing | 🧩 were + verb-ing | You were driving home then. | 🗣️ Tú estabas conduciendo a casa entonces. |
| he | 👤 él | was + verb-ing | 🧩 was + verb-ing | He was sleeping when I called. | 🗣️ Él estaba durmiendo cuando llamé. |
| she | 👤 ella | was + verb-ing | 🧩 was + verb-ing | She was cooking all evening. | 🗣️ Ella estaba cocinando toda la tarde. |
| it | 👤 eso | was + verb-ing | 🧩 was + verb-ing | It was raining heavily. | 🗣️ Estaba lloviendo fuertemente. |
| we | 👤 nosotros | were + verb-ing | 🧩 were + verb-ing | We were watching a movie. | 🗣️ Nosotros estábamos viendo una película. |
| they | 👤 ellos | were + verb-ing | 🧩 were + verb-ing | They were working late. | 🗣️ Ellos estaban trabajando hasta tarde. |
Statements
Use past continuous statements to describe what was in progress at a past moment. Time expressions like at 7 o’clock, at that moment, all day, and while help show the action as ongoing. The meaning is about duration in progress, not completion.
Usa oraciones en pasado continuo para describir lo que estaba en progreso en un momento pasado. Expresiones temporales como a las 7 en punto, en ese momento, todo el día, y mientras ayudan a mostrar la acción como en curso. El significado se refiere a la duración en curso, no a la finalización.
Negatives
Make negatives by adding not after was or were: was not or were not + verb-ing. In informal English, contractions are common: wasn’t and weren’t. The negative focuses on what was not in progress at that time.
Haz negativas añadiendo 'not' después de 'was' o 'were': 'was not' o 'were not' + verbo-ing. En inglés informal, las contracciones son comunes: wasn’t y weren't.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
 Put not after was or were | 📏 Coloca 'not' después de 'was' o 'were' | She was not listening. | 🗣️ She was not listening. |
| Use wasn’t or weren’t in informal speech | 📏 Usa wasn't o weren’t en el habla informal | They weren’t waiting for us. | 🗣️ They weren’t waiting for us. |
Questions
Form questions by inverting be and the subject: Was or Were + subject + verb-ing. Use short answers with was or were, not with the -ing verb. Add question words like what, where, why, and who at the beginning when needed.
Forma preguntas invirtiendo 'be' y el sujeto: Was o Were + sujeto + verb-ing. Utiliza respuestas cortas con was o were, no con el verbo -ing. Añade palabras interrogativas como what, where, why y who al inicio cuando sea necesario.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invert was or were and the subject | 📏 Invierte was o were y el sujeto | Were you working yesterday? | 🗣️ Were you working yesterday? |
| Use was or were in short answers | 📏 Usa was o were en respuestas cortas | Yes, I was. No, they weren’t. | 🗣️ Sí, lo estaba. No, no estaban. |
| Put a question word first for information questions | 📏 Pon una palabra interrogativa al inicio para preguntas de información | What were you doing at 9? | 🗣️ What were you doing at 9? |
Time Reference
Past continuous usually needs a past time reference, either stated directly or understood from context. It commonly appears with specific points in time like at 6 pm or at that moment, and with background periods like all morning or all night. This helps the listener locate the action in the past as an ongoing process.
El pasado continuo normalmente necesita una referencia temporal en pasado, ya sea indicada directamente o entendida por el contexto. Generalmente aparece con puntos específicos en el tiempo como a las 6 p. m. o en ese momento, y con periodos de fondo como toda la mañana o toda la noche. Esto ayuda al oyente a situar la acción en el pasado como un proceso en curso.
Opción múltiple
Which sentence clearly provides a past time reference for a past continuous action?
Interrupted Action
Use past continuous for the longer background action and simple past for the shorter interrupting event. The interruption can be sudden or just the next event that happened. This pattern emphasizes that one action was in progress when another happened.
Usa el pasado continuo para la acción de fondo más larga y el pasado simple para el evento interruptor más corto. La interrupción puede ser repentina o simplemente el siguiente evento que ocurrió. Este patrón enfatiza que una acción estaba en progreso cuando ocurrió otra.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background in past continuous, interruption in simple past | 📏 Fondo en pasado continuo, interrupción en pasado simple | I was walking home when it started to snow. | 🗣️ I was walking home when it started to snow. |
| Use when to introduce the interrupting event | 📏 Usa 'when' para introducir el evento interruptor | She was leaving when the phone rang. | 🗣️ She was leaving when the phone rang. |
Parallel Actions
Use past continuous to show two actions happening at the same time in the past. While and as often introduce the simultaneous actions, especially when both are ongoing. This highlights that the actions overlap in time.
Usa el pasado continuo para mostrar dos acciones que ocurrían al mismo tiempo en el pasado. 'While' y 'as' suelen introducir las acciones simultáneas, especialmente cuando ambas están en curso. Esto resalta que las acciones se superponen en el tiempo.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use while or as for overlapping actions | 📏 Usa 'while' o 'as' para acciones que se superponen | While I was reading, he was cooking. | 🗣️ Mientras yo estaba leyendo, él estaba cocinando. |
| Use past continuous for both actions when both are in progress | 📏 Usa pasado continuo para ambas acciones cuando ambas están en progreso | They were talking as we were walking. | 🗣️ Ellos estaban hablando mientras caminábamos. |
Background Setting
Past continuous is common in storytelling to set the scene and describe what was happening in the background. It gives context before important events in simple past. This creates a contrast between ongoing situations and completed actions.
El pasado continuo es común en la narración para establecer la escena y describir lo que estaba sucediendo en segundo plano. Proporciona contexto antes de eventos importantes en pasado simple. Esto crea un contraste entre las situaciones en curso y las acciones completadas.
Opción múltiple
Select the sentence that best sets the scene (background) in a story using past continuous:
Verb Types
Most action verbs work naturally in the past continuous because they describe activities in progress. Some state verbs, which describe conditions or mental states, are less common in continuous forms because they are not usually seen as actions in progress. In many contexts, simple past is preferred for state meanings, but speakers sometimes use continuous forms to express a temporary or changing situation.
La mayoría de los verbos de acción funcionan de forma natural en el pasado continuo porque describen actividades en progreso. Algunos verbos de estado, que describen condiciones o estados mentales, son menos comunes en formas continuas porque normalmente no se ven como acciones en progreso. En muchos contextos, se prefiere el pasado simple para significados de estado, pero a veces los hablantes usan formas continuas para expresar una situación temporal o cambiante.
Opción múltiple
Which verb below is typically a state verb and is less commonly used in continuous forms?
