Past Continuous tense -6
The Past Continuous tense is an important tense in English. We use it to say what we were in the middle of doing at a particular moment in the past
In this lesson we look at the structure and the use of the Past Continuous tense, followed by a quiz to check your understanding .Note that continuous tenses are also called progressive tenses. So the Past Continuous tense is sometimes called the Past Progressive tense
?How do we make the Past Continuous tense
The structure of the past continuous tense is
| subject | + | auxiliary be | + | main verb |
| conjugated in Past Simple | ||||
| was, were | present participle |
The auxiliary verb (be) is conjugated in the Past Simple: was, were
The main verb is invariable in present participle form: -ing
For negative sentences we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb
For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb
Look at these example sentences with the Past Continuous tense
| subject | auxiliary verb | main verb | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| + | I | was | watching | TV | |
| + | You | were | working | hard | |
| – | He, she, it | was | not | helping | Mary |
| – | We | were | not | joking. | |
| ? | Were | you | being | silly | |
| ? | Were | they | playing | football |
The spelling rules for adding -ing to make the Past Continuous tense are the same as for the Present Continuous tense
?How do we use the Past Continuous tense
The Past Continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the past. The action started before that moment but has not finished at that moment. For example, yesterday I watched a film on TV. The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm
| At 8pm yesterday, I was watching TV | ||
| past | present | future |
| 8pm | ||
| At 8pm, I was in the middle of watching TV |
When we use the Past Continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are talking about. Look at these examples
I was working at 10pm last night
They were not playing football at 9am this morning
?What were you doing at 10pm last night
?What were you doing when he arrived
She was cooking when I telephoned her
We were having dinner when it started to rain
Ram went home early because it was snowing
Past Continuous + Past Simple
We often use the Past Continuous tense with the Past Simple tense. We use the Past Continuous to express a long action. And we use the Past Simple to express a short action that happens in the middle of the long action. We can join the two ideas with when or while
In the following example, we have two actions
long action (watching TV), expressed with Past Continuous
short action (telephoned), expressed with Past Simple
| past | present | future |
| long action I was watching TV from 7pm to 9pm | ||
| 8pm | ||
| short action You phoned at 8pm |
We can join these two actions with when
I was watching TV when you telephoned
Notice that “when you telephoned” is also a way of defining the time (8pm)
We use
when + short action (Past Simple)
while + long action (Past Continuous)
There are four basic combinations
| I was walking past the car | when | it exploded | |
| When | the car exploded | I was walking past it | |
| The car exploded | while | I was walking past it | |
| While | I was walking past the car | it exploded |
Notice that the long action and short action are relative
“Watching TV” took two hours. “Telephoned” took a few seconds
“Walking past the car” took a few seconds. “Exploded” took milliseconds
Using The Past Continuous Tense in English
The past continuous is one of main tenses used to describe situations in the past in English. When and how do you use it? Read on to find out
The Past Continuous
Knowing how to use the past continuous allows you to enrich your descriptions of the past, especially when you’re telling a story and want to go into detail about what happened
How to form the past continuous
We form the past continuous by using the simple past form of the verb ‘to be’ – was/were – and the main verb in the -ing form. For example
“You were reading a book
To make questions we invert the auxiliary verb was/were and the subject
?“Were you reading a book
And to make negative forms we add ‘not
?“You weren’t reading a book
Here is a table with a complete set of examples
The short answer form is Yes, I was./No, I wasn’t
So when do we use the past continuous? There are two main uses of this past tense
1) Describing an action at a particular time in the past
At 4 p.m. I was reading a book
This means that the action of reading started before 4 p.m. and continued at that time. Here are some other examples
?What were you doing at 12:30
We were having lunch at 12:30
Jana was still sitting in the classroom at 5 p.m.
The children were having tea at 4:30 p.m
The traffic wasn’t moving at all at 8 a.m
2) Comparing two finished actions in the past
When I arrived, the children were waiting for me
This means that the children started to wait and the action continued when I arrived. Here are some other examples
I was falling asleep when I heard a noise downstairs
They were just going onto the motorway when they got a flat tire
?Was it raining when you went out
Mrs Evans was making a phone call when we went into her office
?Past continuous or past simple
If you’re describing a sequence of actions that happened in chronological order, use the simple past. For example
I got up, had a shower then went downstairs for breakfast
If you want to give some details to help the listener picture a situation more clearly, use the past continuous. For example
When I went into the kitchen, my brother was making some bacon and eggs
The past continuous is a very useful tense and, as you can see, not difficult to create and introduce to your speech. Have a go at the quiz at the top of this post to practice now
The best way to learn this tense along with other English forms is to do a structured course. At Wall Street English you can learn how to use all the English tenses in a fun and practical way, through listening and speaking
WHILE + past continuous and WHEN + the past simple
I want to ask you about Past Continuous and Past Simple. I’ve watched a video where a presenter said, “If you say past simple USUALLY we say WHEN and the past simple if you say past continuous we usually use WHILE with the past continuous. Here are some examples “I saw her while (so WHILE we use past continuous) she was walking home.” She was walking home WHEN I saw her.” So, you see in the examples WHILE + past continuous and WHEN + the past simple”
https://www.youtube.com/user/learnexmumbai/featured
After watching this video I opened an English textbook and it was written: 1) Neil arrived late WHEN his boss was making a speech. 2) We were having a party WHEN I took this photo. 3) Tom saw the robbers WHEN they were leaving the bank. Personally, I haven’t heard about the WHILE+past continuous and WHEN+PAst Simple rule before. And if I heard that wouldn’t help in the sentences above… Is there really a rule like that?”if you say past continuous we usually use WHILE with the past continuous” could you give an example when after while I should use past simple
Past Continuous
The past continuous (also called past progressive) is a verb tense which is used to show that an ongoing past action was happening at a specific moment of interruption, or that two ongoing actions were happening at the same time. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and past continuous exercises
Past Continuous Forms
The past continuous is formed using was/were + present participle. Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and was/were. Negatives are made with not
Statement: You were studying when she called
?Question: Were you studying when she called
Negative: You were not studying when she called
| Positive | Negative | Question |
| I was singing | I was not singing | ?Was I singing |
| You were singing | You were not singing | ?Were you singing |
| We were singing | We were not singing | ?Were we singing |
| They were singing | They were not singing | ?Were they singing |
| He was singing | He was not singing | ?Was he singing |
| She was singing | She was not singing | ?Was she singing |
| It was singing | It was not singing | ?Was it singing |
USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past
Use the past continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the simple past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time
Examples
I was watching TV when she called
?When the phone rang, she was writing a letter
?While we were having the picnic, it started to rain
?What were you doing when the earthquake started
I was listening to my iPod, so I didn’t hear the fire alarm
You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off
?While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car
Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane
?While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off
A: What were you doing when you broke your leg
B: I was snowboarding
USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption
In USE 1, described above, the past continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the simple past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption
Examples
Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner
At midnight, we were still driving through the desert
Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work
IMPORTANT
In the simple past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the past continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action
Examples
Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner
I started eating at 6 PM
Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner
I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner
USE 3 Parallel Actions
When you use the past continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel
Examples
I was studying while he was making dinner
While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television
?Were you listening while he was talking
I wasn’t paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes
?What were you doing while you were waiting
Thomas wasn’t working, and I wasn’t working either
They were eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time
USE 4 Atmosphere
In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past
Example
When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was yelling directions, and customers were waiting to be helped. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service
USE 5 Repetition and Irritation with Always
The past continuous with words such as always or constantly expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past. The concept is very similar to the expression used to but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words always or constantly between be and verb+ing
Examples
She was always coming to class late
He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone
I didn’t like them because they were always complaining
Past Continuous Tips
While vs. When
Clauses are groups of words which have meaning, but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word when such as “when she called” or “when it bit me.” Other clauses begin with while such as “while she was sleeping” and “while he was surfing.” When you talk about things in the past, when is most often followed by the verb tense simple past, whereas while is usually followed by past continuous. While expresses the idea of “during that time.” Study the examples below. They have similar meanings, but they emphasize different parts of the sentence
Examples
I was studying when she called
While I was studying, she called
REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs
It is important to remember that Non-continuous verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for mixed verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using past continuous with these verbs, you must use simple past
Examples
Jane was being at my house when you arrived. Not Correct
Jane was at my house when you arrived. Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc
Examples
You were just studying when she called
?Were you just studying when she called
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples
The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. Active
The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. Passive
Past Continuous Quiz
.. My brother and sister _____ playing tennis at 11am yesterday. are
was
were
.. _____ you still working at 7pm last night? Were
Are
Was
.. At 8.30am today I _____ driving to work. was
am
were
.. We _____ sleeping when the police came. was
weren’t
won’t
.. Why _____ he having lunch at 4pm? was
does
were
.. Was he not _____ his homework? doing
do
done
.. Snow _____ lightly. Suddenly a reindeer appeared. fell
was falling
is falling
.. Somebody threw a shoe at him _____ he was speaking. after
when
while
.. They ________ TV when I arrived. were watching
were watched
watched
. I was reading a detective story _____ I heard a noise. during
while
when
الماضي المستمر Past Continuous Tense
الماضي المستمر Past Continuous هو الزمن الذي يشير إلى فعل أو حدث مستمر في زمن الماضي. أي أن هذا الحدث مازال في الاستمرار في الماضي بحيث بدأ في وقت معين في الماضي ومازال مستمرا حتى الوقت الحاضر.
تعلم المفردات بسهولة بالطريقة الخاصة التي يستخدمها Wordly
غالبًا ما يُسْتَخْدَم في القصص المكتوبة في زمن الماضي لوصف مسار الأحداث ومجرياتها، كما لوصف حَدَث غير مُكتَمِل قَطَعَه حدث أو آخر.
كيف تتم صياغة الجملة في الزمن الماضي المستمر
يتكون الفعل في زمن الماضي المستمر من جزأين هما: صيغة الماضي من الفعل (was/were) “to be” ومصدر الفعل مضافًا إليه -ing.
يأتي الماضي المستمر بشكل محقق، منفي أو كسؤال كما يلي:
ولنأخذ فعل يقرأ to read
| الإثبات | النفي | الاستفهام |
| I was reading | I was not reading | ?Was I reading |
| He was reading | He wasn’t reading | ?Was he reading |
| We were reading | We weren’t reading | ?Were we reading |
اليك المزيد من التفاصيل:
أولاً: الماضي المستمر المثبت او المحقق
| مصدر الفعل + ing | Was/were | الفاعل |
| reading | was | He |
| studying | was | I |
| playing | were | We |
| sleeping | were | They |
ثانياً: الماضي المستمر المنفي
هنا يضاف النفي not بعد فعل كان was/were
| مصدر الفعل + ing | Was/were | الفاعل |
| reading | was not | He |
| studying | was not | I |
| playing | were not | We |
| sleeping | were not | They |
ثالثاً: الاستفهام في الزمن الماضي المستمر
ونصيغ الجملة هنا بابتداء الجملة ب was/were ثم نلحقها بالفاعل ثم الفعل مضافاً اليه ing
| مصدر الفعل + ing | الفاعل | Was/were |
| reading | he | Was |
| studying | I | Was |
| playing | we | Were |
| sleeping | they | Were |
الظروف الزمنية الدالة على الماضي المستمر
| When | عندما |
| While | حين |
| At the time | في ذاك الوقت |
| In those days | في تلك الأيام |
| All morning | كل الصباح |
| All evening | كل المساء |
| All night | طوال الليل |
| All day | طوال اليوم |
| Yesterday evening | البارحة مساءً |
| Last night | ليلة البارحة |
| At that moment | في تلك اللحظة |
| All-day yesterday | طوال يوم البارحة |
اليك بعض الأمثلة عن استخدامات هذه الظروف في تركيب وصياغة الجمل:
| I was working in the office all-day | كنت أعمل في المكتب طوال اليوم |
| She was reading all evening | كانت تقرأ طوال المساء |
| He was studying last night | كان يدرس ليلة البارحة |
| They were leaving when we called | كانوا يغادرون حين اتصلنا |
| You were sleeping when I came | كنت نائماً حين أتيت |
| We were waiting all day yesterday | كنا ننتظر طوال يوم البارحة |
الفرق بين الماضي البسيط والمستمر
نستخدم الماضي البسيط من أجل التكلم عن الأحداث التي انتهت في الماضي.
أما الماضي المستمر، يستخدم من أجل التكلم عن الأحداث التي استمرت لمدة معينة من الوقت في الماضي.
قارن بين هاتين الجملتين:
Past simple: I played basketball yesterday
Past continuous: I was playing basketball yesterday at 5 p.m
الجملة الأولى تخبرنا أن المتكلم قد لعب كرة السلة البارحة وهو حدث منتهي.
أما الجملة الثانية تخبرنا أن المتكلم كان يلعب كرة السلة قبل الساعة الخامسة مساء واستمر في اللعب بعدها.
بعض الأفعال التي لا يمكن استخدامها في الماضي المستمر
هناك بعض الأفعال في اللغة الإنجليزية التي تسمى stative verbs لا تستخدم عادة مع الأزمنة المستمرة من بينها زمن الماضي المستمر لأنها تدل على حالة الفعل وليس الفعل نفسه.
في المقابل يمكنك استعمال زمن الماضي البسيط.
فيما يلي بعض من أشهر هذه الأفعال:
| feelings | المشاعر | sensations | الحواس | communication | التواصل | thinking | التفكير | others | حالات مختلفة |
| hate | يكره | appear | يبدو | agree | يوافق | believe | يؤمن | be | يكون |
| like | يعجب | feel | يشعر | disagree | لا يوافق | imagine | يتخيل | belong | ينتمي |
| love | يحب | hear | يسمع | deny | ينكر | know | يعلم | concern | يهم |
| prefer | يفضل | see | يرى | mean | يقصد | mean | بقصد | depend | يعتمد |
| want | يريد | seem | يبدو | promise | يعد | realize | يستوعب | involve | يتضمن |
| wish | يتمنى | smell | يشم | satisfy | يشبع | recognize | يتعرف | matter | يهم |
| fear | يخاف | sound | تأتي بمعنى يبدو | surprise | يفاجئ | remember | يتذكر | own | يملك |
| need | يحتاج | taste | يتذوق | understand | يفهم | owe | يدين | ||
| possess | يملك |
أمثلة:
| خطأ | صحيح |
| I loved her | |
| He needed help | |
| I didn’t believe you | |
| She wanted a coffee | |
| Did she agree with you |
