Past Continuous Tense – Learn English
Understand and practice the past continuous tense in English with clear examples and easy-to-understand explanations.
What is the Past Continuous Tense?
The Past Continuous Tense (also known as the Past Progressive Tense) is used to describe actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. It emphasizes the process or duration of the action.
Structure of the Past Continuous Tense
The structure for affirmative sentences is:
- Subject + was/were + Verb (in -ing form) + Object
For negative sentences, we use “was not” (wasn’t) or “were not” (weren’t) + the verb in its -ing form:
- Subject + was not (wasn’t) / were not (weren’t) + Verb (in -ing form) + Object
For questions, we use “was” or “were” at the beginning of the sentence:
- Was/Were + Subject + Verb (in -ing form) + Object?
Examples of Past Continuous Tense
Affirmative Sentences:
- I was reading a book when she called.
- He was playing football at 5 PM yesterday.
- We were studying all night for the test.
Negative Sentences:
- I wasn’t watching TV when you called.
- She wasn’t sleeping at midnight.
- They weren’t talking during the lecture.
Questions:
- Were you working last night?
- Was he studying when I called?
- Were they playing in the park?
When to Use the Past Continuous Tense
You use the Past Continuous Tense when:
- Describing an action that was happening at a particular moment in the past.
- Two actions were happening at the same time in the past.
- An action in the past was interrupted by another action.
- To describe a temporary action or situation in the past.