In English we use the past continuous to talk about an action taking place during a period of time in the past. We usually use it with past simple.
The table below shows the different forms of past continuous :
Example verb : study | I / He / She / It | You / We / They |
Positive | ... was studying. | ... were studying. |
Negative | ... wasn't studying. | ... weren't studying. |
Questions | Was ... studying? | Were ... studying? |
Short answers | Yes, ... was. / No, ... wasn't. | Yes, ... were. / No, ... weren't. |
In English we use the past continuous to show that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the past simple. This can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.
Past Continuous Examples Sentences :
Positive Examples of Past Continuous :
Negative Examples of Past Continuous :
Question Examples of Past Continuous :
In English we can also use a specific time as an interruption.
Examples Sentences :
When you use the past continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it means that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.
Examples Sentences :
Past continuous example sentences | |
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Once when Bear was little, we were walking along a dark street... | Une fois, quand Bear était petit, nous marchions dans une ruelle sombre... |
Okay, long story short, I was cooking some chips last night. | Okay, pour faire court, je préparais des frites hier soir. |
No, I wasn't interested at all, I was just trying to be nice to her. | Non, je ne l'étais pas du tout, j'essayais juste d'être gentille avec elle. |
You were saying something about the wardrobe before. | Tu disais quelque chose à propos de la garde-robe avant. |
Yes, sorry, I was thinking of getting stock powder at the shop. | Oui, désolé, je voulais prendre un fond en poudre au supermarché. |
That's what I was planning. | C'est ce que j'avais prévu. |
The other day, you complained about how loud I was snoring. | L'autre jour, tu t'es plaint d'à quel point je ronflais fort. |
How did you know you were knocking on the right door? | Comment tu savais que tu toquais à la bonne porte? |
The only smoke I could see was coming out of her ears. | La seule fumée que j'ai pu voir était celle qui sortait de ses oreilles. |
I ran inside to check what was happening... | J'ai couru à l'intérieur pour voir ce qu'il se passait... |
When I came, you were at the bar getting yourself a beer. | Quand tu es allé au bar, te chercher une bière. |
Yeah, it wasn't only Pogo, she was complaining about everything! | Ouais, c'était pas seulement à propos de Pogo, elle se plaignait de tout! |
I was also training new workers how to make coffee. | J'ai aussi entraîné de nouvelles recrues à faire du café. |
I thought Diego was taking you somewhere. | Je pensais que Diego t'emmenait quelque part. |
Noone was paying attention to your "precious" bag. | Personne ne faisait attention à ton "précieux" sac. |
I was wondering where that chorizo smell was coming from. | Je me demandais d'où cette odeur de chorizo venait. |
She was in the kitchen, too, preparing something to cook. | Elle était dans la cuisine aussi, elle préparait quelque chose à cuire. |
I hope you weren't looking for something urgently! | J'espère que vous ne cherchiez pas une chambre dans l'urgence! |
It sounds like she was having a mental breakdown. | On dirait qu'elle a eu un crise de nerf. |
Thank god you weren't looking for red wine! | Dieu merci tu n'étais pas entrain de chercher du vin rouge! |