What is the past continuous?

The past continuous describes an action that was in progress at a specific moment in the past, or that was the background to another event.

Action in progress

At 8pm, I was watching TV.

Background scene

It was raining when she arrived.

Interrupted action

I was cooking when the phone rang.

Form: was/were + verb-ing

subject + was/were + verb-ing

I / he / she / it

I was working. She was sleeping.

you / we / they

You were studying. They were laughing.

Negative

I wasn't watching TV. They weren't listening.

Question

Was she working? Were they coming?

While / When — the key words

while + past continuous

While I was sleeping, she called.

background action

It rained while we were walking.

when + past simple

I was reading when she called.

moment of interruption

They were playing when it started to rain.

Past continuous vs past simple

Past continuous (in progress)

I was watching TV all evening.

Past simple (finished)

I watched the film.

Both together — typical pattern

I was walking home when I saw the accident.

Continuous = background / longer / in progress

Simple = event / shorter / completed

Stative verbs — no continuous

Mental states

know, believe, understand, think (= opinion), remember

Feelings

love, hate, like, want, need, prefer

Perception

see, hear, smell, taste, feel

Possession

have (= own), belong to, own

Stative verbs use the simple form, not continuous: not "I was knowing" — correct form: "I knew".

Common mistakes

I was knowing the answer.

→

I knew the answer.

stative verb → past simple

When I cooked, the phone was ringing.

→

When I was cooking, the phone rang.

background = continuous · interruption = simple

She was play tennis yesterday.

→

She was playing tennis yesterday.

was/were + verb-ing (not base verb)

They was watching TV.

→

They were watching TV.

they → were (not was)

Your turn

Answer out loud — full sentences

Use the past continuous for background and the past simple for events.

What were you doing at 8 o'clock last night?

What were you doing when your phone last rang?

Describe a scene: what were people doing in the street?

Tell a short story: I was … when …

Recap

Form

was/were + verb-ing

I was working

Use

in-progress past action · background · interrupted

at 8pm I was watching TV

while + cont · when + simple

background vs interruption

while sleeping · when she called

Stative

no continuous: know, love, see

I knew (NOT was knowing)

Practice now →

Past Continuous