When do you use the past continuous instead of the past simple?

Use the past continuous for an action that was ongoing at a past moment, especially as background that gets interrupted: "They were watching TV when I arrived." Use the past simple for the shorter completed action that interrupts it (arrived) and for finished, sequential events.

When do I use was and when do I use were?

Use was with I, he, she, and it, and were with you, we, and they. So it's "I was cooking," but "They were watching TV."

How do you form questions in the past continuous?

Put was or were before the subject, then the -ing verb: "What were you doing?" or "Was she sleeping?" You don't need did, because was/were already carries the question.

What's a common mistake with the past continuous?

A common error is using it for completed or sequential actions, such as "I was eating, then I was leaving." For finished actions in order, use the past simple: "I ate, then I left."

Tenses & Aspect

Past Continuous (Was / Were + -ing)

Level A2 Tenses & Aspect

Key idea

The past continuous describes an action that was in progress at a moment in the past. You form it with was or were plus the -ing form of the verb, as in "I was cooking at 8pm." It's perfect for setting the scene and showing a longer action interrupted by a shorter one in the past simple: "They were watching TV when I arrived." For questions, move was or were before the subject: "What were you doing?"

Examples

I was cooking at 8pm. cooking was in progress at 8pm
They were watching TV when I arrived. the TV-watching was ongoing when the speaker arrived
What were you doing? asking what action was in progress

The full lesson

Everything in the video, in text.

was / were + -ing

the past continuous

Say I was eating, then I was leaving, and a native speaker hears something off. One tense, used the wrong way, and your whole story sounds broken.
was / were + verb-ing = an action in progress in the past.

The past continuous shows an action in progress at a moment in the past. Not finished, not a sequence — happening. Here's how you build it.
be + -ing

I / he / she / it was working
you / we / they were working

Pick was or were to match the subject, then add the main verb with -ing. That's the whole formula.
I was cooking at 8pm.
in progress at a past time

Start simple. Pin an action to a past time and show it was already underway. I was cooking at 8pm.
They were watching TV when I arrived.
background + interruption

Now the real power: setting the scene. A longer action is in progress when a shorter one interrupts it. They were watching TV when I arrived.
The classic pairing
past continuous
the long action
the background
was / were + -ing
past simple
the short event
the interruption
rang, arrived, called
See the pattern? The long, background action takes the past continuous. The short event that cuts in takes the past simple.
I was sleeping when the phone rang.
long action + interruption

Listen to it in action. The sleeping was already happening; the phone cut in. I was sleeping when the phone rang.
What were you doing?
questions: was/were + subject + -ing

It works in questions too. Ask what action was in progress at that moment. What were you doing?
She was reading while I was cooking.
while = two parallel actions

Two long actions can run at the same time. Use while, and both take the past continuous. She was reading while I was cooking.
✗ I was eating, then I was leaving. two completed steps in a row

✓ I ate, then I left. use past simple for a sequence

Continuous = in progress. Sequence of finished steps = past simple.

Now the big trap. For finished actions that happen one after another, you need the past simple — not the continuous. The continuous is for the scene, not the sequence.
✗ They was waiting. wrong agreement

✓ They were waiting. they → were

Match the helper: I/he/she/it → was · you/we/they → were.

The other slip is mixing was and were. He, she, it and I take was. You, we and they take were.
Remember
- was/were + -ing = in progress
- background action + interrupting past simple
- sequences of finished steps → past simple
So: was or were plus -ing for an action in progress. It sets the scene; the past simple delivers the event that interrupts it.

Examples

was / were + -ing

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