The Past Continuous (also called the Past Progressive) describes an action that was in progress at a particular moment in the past. It is built from the past tense of be plus the -ing form of the main verb.
The action started before nine and was still going on at nine. That ongoing, unfinished quality is what separates the Past Continuous from the Past Simple.
Form
The structure is the same for every verb: was/were + verb-ing.
| SUBJECT | WAS/WERE | VERB-ING |
|---|---|---|
| I / he / she / it | was | working |
| you / we / they | were | working |
Choose was for singular subjects (except you) and were for plural subjects and you.
Negative
Add not after was/were. In everyday English, contractions are more common.
| FULL FORM | CONTRACTION |
|---|---|
| was not | wasn't |
| were not | weren't |
Questions
Move was/were before the subject.
Yes/no questions:
Wh-questions — put the question word first, then was/were + subject + verb-ing:
Action in progress at a specific past time
This is the most basic use. A past time is named, and the Past Continuous shows that an action was already happening at that moment.
The specific time can be a clock time (at 6 PM), a date phrase (yesterday evening), or a longer period (all morning, all day).
Background action interrupted by a shorter event
This is the pattern learners meet most often. A longer action is already in progress (Past Continuous), and a shorter event breaks into it (Past Simple).
The long action does not necessarily stop — it may continue after the interruption. The point is that it was already happening when the short event occurred.
While and when
While usually introduces the longer, background action (Past Continuous). When usually introduces the shorter, interrupting action (Past Simple).
Both sentences describe the same situation. The word order changes, but the meaning stays the same: walking is the longer action, started to rain is the interruption.
Both words are flexible. You will sometimes see when with the Past Continuous and while with the Past Simple, but the pattern above is by far the most common.
Two parallel actions
When two longer actions were happening at the same time, both go into the Past Continuous. The connector is usually while.
Time markers
Certain words and phrases appear regularly with the Past Continuous.
Clock times and date phrases: at 8 o'clock last night, at midnight, yesterday afternoon, this time last week
Duration phrases: all morning, all afternoon, all evening, all day, the whole time
Connectors: when, while, as
Spelling of the -ing form
Most verbs simply add -ing: work — working, read — reading, sleep — sleeping.
A few patterns are worth noting.
Verbs ending in -e drop the e before adding -ing: write — writing, make — making, drive — driving.
Short verbs ending in one vowel + one consonant double the final consonant: run — running, sit — sitting, stop — stopping.
Verbs ending in -ie change ie to y: lie — lying, die — dying.
Stative verbs
Some verbs describe states rather than actions — know, want, believe, understand, like, love, need, prefer. These verbs are not normally used in continuous tenses, including the Past Continuous. Use the Past Simple instead.
A few verbs have both a stative and a dynamic meaning. With the dynamic meaning, the continuous form is fine.
Common mistakes
Was/were agreement
Missing -ing
Wrong tense for the interruption
Stative verbs in the continuous
While/when confusion