💡 What Is the Past Continuous?

We use the past continuous to describe actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.
It helps us talk about what was happening around a moment, or when another action interrupted it.

🔹 FORM

We make the past continuous with was / were + verb-ing.

Subject	was / were	Verb + -ing	Example
I / he / she / it	was	verb + -ing	I was watching TV.
you / we / they	were	verb + -ing	They were studying English.

🧠 Tip: Add -ing to the base verb.
✅ play → playing
✅ write → writing
✅ dance → dancing

🔹 USE 1: Action in Progress in the Past

We use the past continuous for something that was happening at a specific time in the past.

I was working abroad in 2016.
We were visiting friends last night.

🕓 The action was not finished at that moment, it was continuing.

🔹 USE 2: Interrupted Action

We often use the past continuous and past simple together.

🧩 The past continuous = longer action (in progress)
🧩 The past simple = shorter action (interrupted it)

Past Continuous (long)	+ when +	Past Simple (short)
I was cooking dinner	when	my friend called.
They were watching TV	when	the phone rang.

🧠 Tip: Use when before the short action (past simple).

🔹 USE 3: Two Actions Happening at the Same Time

We use while when two long actions were happening at the same time in the past.

while + Past Continuous	,	Past Continuous
We were studying	while	our parents were watching TV.
She was cooking	while	he was cleaning the kitchen.

🧠 Tip:
Use while to show parallel actions, both were in progress at the same time.

Example: While I was reading, my sister was listening to music.

🔹 USE 4: When vs. While

Word	Used before	Example
when	past simple (short action)	I was driving when it started to rain.
while	past continuous (long action)	She was singing while I was playing the guitar.

🧩 Compare: Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

Meaning	Past Simple	Past Continuous
Completed action	I watched TV yesterday.	—
Action in progress (background)	—	I was watching TV when the phone rang.
Two simultaneous actions	—	I was reading while she was cooking.

---

Past Continuous is also known as Past Progressive

Past Continuous = Past Progressive

---

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

Speaking

Practice 1

Practice 2