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 | |
---|---|
That's what I was planning. | मैंने यही सोचा था। |
Yes, I already made myself a coffee while you were sleeping. | हाँ, जब तुम सो रहे थे तभी मैंने अपने लिए कॉफ़ी बना ली। |
No, I wasn't interested at all, I was just trying to be nice to her. | नहीं, मुझे बिलकुल रूचि नहीं थी, मैं बस उसके साथ अच्छा बनने की कोशिश कर रही थी। |
Really? What was she saying? | अच्छा? वो क्या कह रही थी? |
I was planning on cooking some meat, originally. | असल में, मैं मीट बनाने के बारे में सोच रहा था। |
I hope you weren't looking for something urgently! | मुझे उम्मीद है कि आप तुरंत के लिए घर नहीं खोज रही हैं! |
The only smoke I could see was coming out of her ears. | मैं केवल वो धुआं देख पाया जो उसके कानों से बाहर आ रहा था। |
And you pretended you didn't know I was living here. | और तुमने ऐसे दिखाया जैसे तुम्हें पता ही नहीं है कि मैं यहाँ रहती हूँ। |
Once when Bear was little, we were walking along a dark street... | एक बार जब बेयर छोटा था तब हम एक अँधेरी सड़क से जा रहे थे... |
And the girls were too busy ordering. | और लड़कियां ऑर्डर करने में व्यस्त थीं। |
You were saying something about the wardrobe before. | तुम पहले कपड़ों की अलमारी के बारे में कुछ कह रही थी। |
Hm, why was he begging the fairy to turn him into a real kid then? | हम्म, तो फिर वो परी से उसे असली लड़के में बदलने की भीख क्यों मांग रहा था? |
Noone was paying attention to your "precious" bag. | कोई तुम्हारे "बेशकीमती" बैग पर ध्यान नहीं दे रहा था। |
I was also training new workers how to make coffee. | मैं नए कर्मचारियों को कॉफ़ी बनाने का प्रशिक्षण भी देती थी। |
Alright Nick, what were you saying? | ठीक है निक, तुम क्या कह रहे थे? |
I was planning on stirfrying some red peppers and mushrooms! | मैं कुछ लाल शिमला मिर्च और मशरूम भूनने के बारे में सोच रहा था! |
Yeah, it wasn't only Pogo, she was complaining about everything! | हाँ, वो केवल पोगों के बारे में नहीं बोल रही थी, वो लगभग सभी चीजों के बारे में शिकायत कर रही थी! |
When I came, you were at the bar getting yourself a beer. | जब मैं यहाँ आया, तुम बार में अपने लिए बियर ले रहे थे। |
How did you know you were knocking on the right door? | तुम्हें कैसे पता चला कि तुम सही दरवाज़ा खटखटा रही हो? |
I was wondering where that chorizo smell was coming from. | वही मैं सोच रहा था कि कोरिज़ो की महक कहाँ से आ रही है। |