What you'll learn
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to describe actions that were in progress in the past and explain what happened when another action interrupted them.
When do I use it?
The past continuous describes an action that was happening at a specific moment in the past. It gives background to a story and is often interrupted by a shorter action in the past simple.
- Yesterday at 8 pm, I was watching TV.
- She was cooking when the phone rang.
- The kids were playing while their parents chatted.
The tense shows that the action was already in progress before the moment you mention.
How do I form it?
was/were + verb + -ing
| I | was eating |
|---|---|
| You | were eating |
| He / She / It | was eating |
| We | were eating |
| They | were eating |
Use was with I, he, she and it. Use were with you, we and they.
Subject + was/were + verb + -ing + (rest of the sentence)
For negatives, add not after was/were: I was not watching TV. For questions, put was/were first: Were you sleeping?
Common mistakes for Spanish speakers
Spanish speakers often forget the -ing because Spanish gerunds look different: "Yo estudiaba" translates as "I was studying", not "I was study". The verb always needs be + verb(-ing). Another frequent slip is using "was" with "you" because Spanish has no such subject-verb agreement for these forms: "You was" should be "You were". Keep the pattern was/were + -ing glued together.
Ask yourself: was the action in progress at that moment? If yes, use was/were + -ing. If it happened and finished, use the past simple.
Practice
Multiple Choice
A2Which sentence describes an action in progress at a specific past moment?
Fill in the Blank
A2At noon, we having lunch together.
Hint: The subject is 'we', so use 'were'.
Find the Error
A2Practice Speaking
Apply what you've learned in a real conversation with AI feedback.
Level: A2