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Past Continuous – Definition, Examples & Uses

It is a tense used to describe actions that were in progress at a specific moment in the past. It often shows that a longer action was happening when a shorter action interrupted it, and the action may or may not have finished later. The tense is formed with was/were + verb + -ing (e.g., I was reading, They were working).

We use it for ongoing past actions, interrupted actions, background descriptions in stories, and repeated or irritating habits in the past.

How Is the Past Continuous Formed?

Section Rule / Structure Examples
Formation was / were + verb + -ing She was reading.
Affirmative Subject + was/were + verb + -ing They were planning the trip.
Negative Subject + wasn’t/weren’t + verb + -ing I wasn’t reading when you called.
Question Was/Were + subject + verb + -ing? Were you listening during the exam?
Use: Interrupted action Past continuous (background) + Past simple (interrupt) I was walking when it started to rain.
Use: Specific time Action in progress at a past time marker At 10 p.m., she was still working.
Use: Repeated (emotion) Often with always/constantly (irritation) He was always playing video games.
Use: Change/development Verbs showing gradual change Her English was improving quickly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Category Rule / Explanation Incorrect Example Correct Example
Stative Verbs – Thinking & Opinion Stative verbs describe states, not actions, and usually do not appear in continuous tenses.
 
Typical verbs: know, believe, understand, remember, forget, think (opinion), mean 		I was knowing the answer. I knew the answer.
Stative Verbs – Emotion Emotional states are not normally used in continuous form.
 
Typical verbs: like, love, hate, prefer, want, need 		She was wanting to go home. She wanted to go home.
Stative Verbs – Possession Verbs of possession describe ownership, not actions.
 
Typical verbs: have (own), own, possess, belong 		That house was belonging to my grandparents. That house belonged to my grandparents.
Stative Verbs – Perception Perception verbs in stative meaning are not used in continuous form.
 
Typical verbs: see, hear, smell, taste, feel (state), seem, appear, sound 		I was hearing a strange noise. I heard a strange noise.
Omitting Time Markers The past continuous usually requires a time reference or clear context. I was studying. Yesterday at 8 p.m., I was studying.
Incorrect Conjugation of “To Be” Always match was/were with the correct subject. They was playing football. They were playing football.

Test your knowledge

Question 1/10
1) At 8 pm, she ____ TV.
2) We ____ dinner when the phone rang.
3) They ____ football at 5 pm yesterday.
4) I ____ when you arrived.
5) She ____ not listening.
6) What ____ you doing at 6 pm?
7) It ____ raining all evening.
8) The children ____ in the garden.
9) He ____ driving too fast.
10) We ____ studying when the teacher came in.

Find out more

Time expressions help identify which tense is being used. The Past Continuous is often used with phrases such as at that time, while, when, or yesterday at 8 p.m., while the Simple Past commonly appears with expressions like yesterday, last night, last week, or in 2020. It is important to remember that using one tense instead of the other can change the meaning of a sentence.

For example, "I was reading when she called" shows that the reading was already in progress at the moment of the call, whereas "I read when she called" describes the reading as a complete action that happened at that time.

The past continuous and the simple past are often used together in a sentence. However, they serve different purposes.

The past continuous describes an action that was in progress at a specific moment in the past.

The simple past describes a completed action or event, seen as a whole.

Examples:

  1. She called. (simple past, completed action)
  2. She was working. (past continuous, action in progress)
  3. When used together, the past continuous provides background information, while the simple past introduces a shorter or more important event.
  4. She was walking home when she saw an accident.

These words often act as triggers for different tenses:

  • While usually precedes the Long Action (Continuous): "While I was washing the dishes, I broke a glass."
  • When usually precedes the Short Action (Simple): "I was washing the dishes when I broke a glass."

According to standard grammar rules, the answer is no, because verbs such as know, want, believe, need, and belong describe states rather than actions.

For example, it is incorrect to say "I was knowing the answer," and the correct form is "I knew the answer." However, there is an exception: some stative verbs, such as wonder or hope, can appear in the Continuous form to sound more polite, as in "I was wondering if you could help me."