Grammar
Past continuous: uses, form, and examples
At nine, the kitchen was busy. Sam was chopping vegetables while Lina was setting the table.
Use the past continuous to describe an action in progress at a past time, as background to another event, or alongside another ongoing action.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
We were waiting for the bus /wiː wə ˈweɪ.tɪŋ fə ðə bʌs/
The short answer
Use was or were plus an -ing verb for an action that was in progress in the past. It can show what was happening at a particular time, provide background for another event, or link two actions that continued at the same time.
At six o'clock, Priya was walking home from work.
Why it works: The sentence shows the walk in progress at six, not the whole completed journey.
4 more examples
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I was answering emails when the fire alarm rang.
The email task had started before the alarm and was continuing when it rang.
Not this:I
answeredthe emails after the alarm stopped. What changes: Answered describes a finished task after the alarm. -
While Daniel was washing the dishes, his daughter was feeding the cat.
Washing and feeding were both continuing during the same period.
Not this:Daniel
washedthe dishes, and his daughter fed the cat. What changes: The simple past lists completed actions without showing them in progress. -
The wind was getting stronger as the ferry left the harbor.
The continuous form shows a change that was developing around the departure.
Not this:The wind
gotstronger after the ferry left the harbor. What changes: Got stronger treats the change as a completed development after the departure. -
Were you listening when the instructor explained the safety rules?
Were comes before the subject to make a question about an action in progress.
Not this:You
listenedto the instructor's safety rules. What changes: This statement presents the listening as complete.
Read the full guide
First, find the past moment or event. Then ask whether the action had already started and was still continuing around that time. If so, the past continuous may be the right choice.
See the action in the middle of happening
Use the past continuous when a past time is like a snapshot. The action began before that moment and had not finished yet.
At midnight, the neighbors were still talking.
The sentence shows the conversation in progress at midnight.
Which sentence describes an activity in progress at seven: The store closed, or The staff were closing the store?
The staff were closing the store. Were closing shows an activity in progress around seven.
Build the form with was or were
Choose was for I, he, she, it, and a singular noun. Choose were for you, we, they, and plural nouns. The main verb then takes -ing.
The electrician was checking the wires.
Electrician is singular, so the auxiliary is was.
The technicians were checking the wires.
Technicians is plural, so the auxiliary is were.
Complete the sentence: We ___ waiting outside. Choose was or were.
We were waiting outside. Were agrees with we.
Describe what was happening at a past time
A time phrase can make the purpose clear. Use the past continuous when you want to say what was going on at that time, even if you do not say when the action started or finished.
This time last week, we were staying near the coast.
The sentence places the stay around one past point.
What was happening at 3 p.m.: The team signed the contract, or The team was discussing the contract?
The team was discussing the contract. The continuous form shows the discussion in progress.
Set the background for another past event
Use the past continuous for an action already in progress when another event happened. The event often uses the simple past. When, while, and as can help the reader follow the order.
We were crossing the square when the rain started.
Were crossing gives the background action. Started names the event that happened during it.
As I was leaving the office, I found my missing badge.
Leaving was underway when I found the badge.
Which action was already happening in We were eating when the guests arrived?
We were eating. The guests arrived is the later event in the simple past.
Show two actions that continued together
Use two past continuous forms when two actions were continuing at the same time. This pattern often uses while, but the word while is not required when the time relationship is clear.
While I was preparing lunch, my partner was making coffee.
Both tasks were in progress during the same period.
Choose the pair that shows simultaneous ongoing actions: I cooked and he cleaned, or I was cooking while he was cleaning?
I was cooking while he was cleaning. Both continuous forms show actions in progress together.
Use negatives, questions, and suitable verbs
Put not after was or were for a negative. Put was or were before the subject for a question. Use the tense mainly with actions and developing situations; many state verbs, such as know and believe, usually stay in the simple past.
She was not expecting a delivery that morning.
Not comes after was and before expecting.
What were the children doing in the garden?
Were moves before the subject in the question.
Choose the natural sentence: I knew the route, or I was knowing the route?
I knew the route. Know is usually a state verb, so the simple past is natural here.
Before you go
Remember this
Build the past continuous with was or were plus an -ing verb. Use it to show an action in progress at a past time, to set the background for another event, or to describe two actions that were happening together. Choose the simple past when you want to present an event as finished.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Past continuous: uses, form, and examples"
What is the past continuous?
The past continuous is a verb form for an action that was in progress in the past. It uses was or were plus an -ing verb. For example, Priya was walking home at six o'clock focuses on a moment during her journey.
At six o'clock, Priya was walking home from work.
When should I use the past continuous?
Use the past continuous to say what was happening at a particular past time, to set the background for another event, or to show two actions continuing together. It helps when the action was unfinished around the past moment you are describing.
Priya walked home after work.
How do I form the past continuous?
Use was with I, he, she, it, and singular nouns. Use were with you, we, they, and plural nouns. Then add the -ing form of the main verb, as in The electrician was checking the wires or The technicians were checking the wires.
I was answering emails when the fire alarm rang.
How does the past continuous work with the simple past?
The past continuous often gives the ongoing background, while the simple past names an event that happened during it. In I was answering emails when the fire alarm rang, answering was already in progress and rang is the shorter past event.
I answered the emails after the alarm stopped.
Can I use the past continuous with every verb?
No. It is most common with actions and changing situations. Many state verbs usually use the simple past instead. Say I knew the answer, for example, rather than I was knowing the answer. Context can affect the choice, so focus first on the meaning you want to show.
While Daniel was washing the dishes, his daughter was feeding the cat.