Past Continuous: Complete Guide with Examples and Free Exercises
Learn when to use Past Continuous, how to form it, and how it differs from Past Simple — with 5 exercises right on this page.
Quick reference
- Positive
- Subject + was/were + V-ing
- Negative
- Subject + was/were + not + V-ing
- Question
- Was/Were + subject + V-ing?
- Auxiliaries
- was (I/he/she/it), were (you/we/they)
- “I was working from home yesterday.”
- “They weren't listening during the call.”
- “Were you sleeping at 11 p.m.?”
When to use Past Continuous
An action in progress at a specific past moment
“At 9 a.m. yesterday, I was reviewing pull requests.”
Past Continuous shows that the action was already happening at that exact past time. We don't focus on when it started or ended — only that it was in the middle of happening.
A longer background action interrupted by a shorter one
“I was making coffee when my manager called.”
Use Past Continuous for the longer action that was already going on, and Past Simple for the shorter action that interrupted it. The 'when' or 'while' usually links the two.
Two parallel actions happening at the same time in the past
“While she was preparing the slides, I was testing the demo.”
When two activities ran in parallel in the past, both verbs go in Past Continuous. 'While' is the most common connector for this pattern.
Setting the scene in a story or description
“It was raining hard, and people were running to the metro.”
Past Continuous paints the background of a story — weather, atmosphere, what people around were doing. The main events of the story usually appear in Past Simple.
Repeated or annoying past habits with 'always', 'constantly'
“My old laptop was always crashing during meetings.”
With words like 'always' or 'constantly', Past Continuous adds an emotional tone — usually irritation about something that happened too often in the past.
Past Continuous forms
Positive
Subject + was/were + V-ing
- “I was writing the report at midnight.”
- “She was driving to the airport.”
- “We were waiting for the train.”
Negative
Subject + was/were + not + V-ing
- “I wasn't paying attention during the meeting.”
- “He wasn't telling the truth.”
- “They weren't following the recipe.”
Contractions: was not → wasn'twere not → weren't
Question
Was/Were + subject + V-ing?
- “Were you cooking when I called?”
- “Was she using the kitchen?”
- “What were they discussing?”
Short answers: “Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.”“Yes, they were. / No, they weren't.”
Past Continuous time markers
| Marker | Example |
|---|---|
| while | “While I was packing, my taxi arrived.” |
| when | “I was showering when the doorbell rang.” |
| as | “As we were leaving, it started to snow.” |
| at that moment | “At that moment, she was checking her email.” |
| all day / all morning | “He was coding all morning.” |
| at 7 p.m. yesterday | “At 7 p.m. yesterday, we were having dinner.” |
| always / constantly | “The printer was constantly jamming last week.” |
Common mistakes with Past Continuous
✗I was knowing the answer.
✓I knew the answer.
Stative verbs like 'know', 'understand', 'believe', 'love', 'want' are not normally used in continuous tenses. Use Past Simple with these verbs even when describing a past moment.
✗When she called, I cooked dinner.
✓When she called, I was cooking dinner.
If the longer action was already in progress when the shorter action happened, the longer action must be in Past Continuous. Past Simple here would suggest you started cooking after the call.
✗We was watching the match.
✓We were watching the match.
Use 'were' with 'we', 'you', and 'they'. 'Was' only goes with 'I', 'he', 'she', and 'it'. This is one of the most common spoken-English mistakes.
✗She was study for her exam yesterday evening.
✓She was studying for her exam yesterday evening.
After 'was' or 'were' you must use the -ing form of the main verb, never the bare infinitive. Don't drop the -ing ending.
✗Yesterday I was going to work at 8 and arrived at 9.
✓Yesterday I went to work at 8 and arrived at 9.
For a sequence of completed past actions, use Past Simple, not Past Continuous. Past Continuous focuses on the middle of an action, not the start or finish.
Past Continuous vs Past Simple
Past Continuous describes an action that was in progress in the past — we focus on the middle of it, not its beginning or end. Past Simple describes a completed past action, often a quick one or the next event in a sequence. When the two appear together, the longer background action takes Past Continuous and the shorter, interrupting action takes Past Simple. A useful test: if you can naturally add 'in the middle of' before the verb, Past Continuous fits; if the action is finished and you can ask 'what happened next?', Past Simple fits.
| Context | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Action in progress at a past moment | Past Continuous | “At 8 p.m. I was watching a film.” |
| Completed action at a past moment | Past Simple | “At 8 p.m. I started the film.” |
| Longer background action | Past Continuous | “I was cooking when she arrived.” |
| Shorter interrupting action | Past Simple | “I was cooking when she arrived.” |
| Sequence of finished events | Past Simple | “I woke up, made coffee, and left.” |
Past Continuous exercises
Five hand-picked exercises with instant feedback. No signup needed to start.
Exercise 1 of 5
At 7 p.m. yesterday, we ___ dinner with our neighbours.
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Practice Past Continuous →Past Continuous FAQ
What is the Past Continuous tense in English?
Past Continuous is a verb tense that describes an action that was in progress at a specific moment in the past. It is formed with 'was' or 'were' plus the -ing form of the main verb, for example 'I was reading'. It focuses on the middle of an action, not its start or end.
How do I form the Past Continuous?
Use 'was' for I, he, she, and it, and 'were' for you, we, and they, followed by the verb with -ing. For negatives add 'not' after was/were ('wasn't', 'weren't'). For questions, put was/were before the subject: 'Were you sleeping?'
What is the difference between Past Continuous and Past Simple?
Past Continuous describes an action in progress in the past, while Past Simple describes a completed action. When both appear in one sentence, the longer background action uses Past Continuous and the shorter interrupting action uses Past Simple, as in 'I was cooking when she called'.
When do I use Past Continuous instead of Past Simple?
Use Past Continuous when you want to emphasize that an action was already happening at a past time, when you describe two parallel past actions, or when you set the scene in a story. Use Past Simple for finished actions, sequences of events, and short completed events at a specific time.
Can I use Past Continuous with all verbs?
No. Stative verbs such as 'know', 'believe', 'love', 'understand', 'want', 'need', and 'belong' are not normally used in continuous tenses. With these verbs, use Past Simple even when describing a past moment, for example 'I knew the answer', not 'I was knowing the answer'.