Past Continuous (Past Progressive)
The Past Continuous tense describes actions or situations that were in progress at a particular moment in the past. It emphasises the ongoing nature of the action rather than its completion.
We form the Past Continuous with was/were + the -ing form of the verb. Use 'was' with I, he, she, and it, and 'were' with you, we, and they.
Formation
Positive Form
Form the Past Continuous with was/were + verb-ing.
| Full Form | Short Form |
|---|---|
| I was reading | I was reading |
| You were walking | You were walking |
| He was cooking | He was cooking |
| She was talking | She was talking |
| It was raining | It was raining |
| We were playing football | We were playing football |
| They were studying | They were studying |
Negative Form
Add 'not' after was/were to form negatives. Contractions are commonly used.
| Full Form | Short Form |
|---|---|
| I was not reading | I wasn't reading |
| You were not walking | You weren't walking |
| He was not cooking | He wasn't cooking |
| She was not talking | She wasn't talking |
| It was not raining | It wasn't raining |
| We were not playing football | We weren't playing football |
| They were not studying | They weren't studying |
Yes/No Questions
Move was/were before the subject to form questions.
Examples:
- Was I reading at 8 o'clock?
- Were you walking in the park?
- Was he cooking dinner?
- Was she talking on the phone?
- Was it raining this morning?
- Were we playing football yesterday?
- Were they studying together?
Wh- Questions
Begin with a question word, then use was/were + subject + verb-ing.
Examples:
- What was I reading?
- Where were you walking?
- What was he cooking?
- Who was she talking to?
- When was it raining?
- What were we playing?
- What were they studying?
Usage
Note: Stative verbs (such as know, like, believe, want) are not usually used in continuous forms. They describe states rather than actions.
Learn more about stative verbsPractice Exercises
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Downloadable PDF
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Related Lessons
How To Use The Past Continuous
See how we use was/were + -ing for background actions and interrupted activities.
Past Simple
Learn how to talk about finished actions in the past using regular and irregular verbs.
Past Simple or Past Continuous
Learn how to talk about completed actions and actions in progress in the past.
Present Perfect Continuous or Past Continuous
See the difference between ongoing past actions and actions continuing until now.