A2 Elementary Past tenses
Past continuous
Lesson goal. After this lesson you can describe what was happening at a moment in the past and set the scene when telling a story.
When to use it
- An action in progress at a past moment: At 8 p.m. I was studying.
- The background of a story: It was raining and the wind was blowing.
- Two parallel long actions: I was cooking while she was studying.
Form
| Subject | Auxiliary | Verb |
|---|---|---|
| I · he · she · it | was | + V-ing |
| you · we · they | were | + V-ing |
| Negative | wasn't / weren't | + V-ing |
| Question | Was / Were + S | + V-ing? |
Step by step
- Find the past moment: at 8 p.m., at that moment, when he came.
- Choose was or were by the subject.
- Add -ing, minding the spelling: run → running, write → writing.
- Check: was the action really unfinished at that moment?
Past simple or past continuous
| Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| past simple | I watched a film. |
| past continuous | At nine I was watching a film. |
| past simple | I went there three times. |
Examples
At ten o'clock last night I was reading a book.
They were playing football when it started to rain.
What were you doing at that moment?
It was raining when we left the house.
My parents weren't sleeping — they were waiting for me.
While I was cooking, my sister was doing her homework.
Common mistakes
They was playing football. → They were playing football.
they is plural → were. This carries over from the was/were lesson at A1.
I was watch TV. → I was watching TV.
After was/were the verb must take -ing.
Yesterday I was going to school at 7 and I was arriving at 7.30. → Yesterday I went to school at 7 and arrived at 7.30.
These are two completed events in sequence → past simple. The continuous is only for actions in progress.
Memory tip
Ask yourself: “Was it finished at that moment?” Still going → continuous. Already finished → past simple.
Summary
- was/were + V-ing — an action in progress at a past moment.
- I, he, she, it → was · you, we, they → were.
- Use it for background; finished events take the past simple.
Practise this lesson
Do exercises with an explanation for every question, take mini tests and track your progress on GrammUp.