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Intermediate · Tenses made easy · topic 22 of 59 · 14 min

Past continuous: what was happening

Explanation

The past continuous shows an action in progress at a time in the past: "At 8 pm I was watching TV." It often sets the scene for a short action: "I was cooking when the doorbell rang." Pattern: was/were + verb-ing. "रहा था / रही थी" के लिए past continuous।

Hindi says "मैं टीवी देख रहा था". English says "I was watching TV." It is the past form of the present continuous: just change am/is/are to was/were.

Subjectbe (past)verb-ingExample
I / he / she / itwassleepingI was sleeping at 11.
you / we / theywereplayingThey were playing cricket.
Negativewasn't / weren'tlisteningShe wasn't listening.
QuestionWas / Were ...?doingWhat were you doing?

The long action and the short action

The past continuous is often the background (long action), and the simple past is the event that interrupts it (short action). Use "when" before the short action and "while" before the long action.

I was cooking when the lights went off.

Say it: ai woz KUK-ing wen the LYTS went OF

जब बिजली गई, तब मैं खाना बना रही थी।

While I was walking to the station, it started to rain.

Say it: wyl ai woz WAWK-ing to the STAY-shun, it STAAR-tid to RAYN

जब मैं स्टेशन की ओर चल रहा था, बारिश शुरू हो गई।

What were you doing at nine last night?

Say it: wot wer yoo DOO-ing at NYN laast NYT?

तुम कल रात नौ बजे क्या कर रहे थे?

I was waiting for you for an hour!

Say it: ai woz WAYT-ing for yoo for an OW-er!

मैं एक घंटे से तुम्हारा इंतज़ार कर रहा था!

Sorry, I wasn't listening. Could you repeat that?

Say it: SOR-ee, ai WOZ-unt LIS-en-ing. kud yoo ri-PEET that?

माफ़ कीजिए, मेरा ध्यान नहीं था। क्या आप दोहरा सकते हैं?

The children were playing while we were talking.

Say it: the CHIL-dren wer PLAY-ing wyl wee wer TAWK-ing

जब हम बात कर रहे थे, बच्चे खेल रहे थे।

Two long actions at the same time: past continuous in both parts.

Think of it like this: Think of a film. The past continuous is the background scene (rain falling, people walking). The simple past is the sudden event (the hero enters). Stories use both together.
Careful: Do not use past continuous for short, finished actions: "Yesterday I was going to the bank and was opening an account" sounds odd. Say "Yesterday I went to the bank and opened an account."
Careful: Do not say "I was knowing" or "I was wanting" for states. Say "I knew", "I wanted".
Tip: Tell a short story about a power cut, a surprise visit or a rain shower using "I was ... when ...".

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Watch the lesson

Past continuous: what was happening · 1/7

Past continuous was / were + verb-ing

Hello! Today we learn the past continuous. It tells what was happening at a moment in the past.

Prefer a video by a teacher? Find free videos on “past continuous tense was were ing spoken english in hindi” on YouTube ↗

In real life: Reporting a lost phone at a police help desk

Officer: When did you lose your phone? Rohit: Around six thirty yesterday evening. Officer: What were you doing at that time? Rohit: I was standing at the bus stop. I was talking to my friend. Officer: Was the phone in your hand? Rohit: No, it was in my back pocket. When the bus came, everyone was pushing. When I got on, the phone was gone. Officer: Okay. Please fill in this form.

Practice (0/4 done)

Task 1 · Speak

Say this short story.

I was cooking dinner when the lights went off. We were sitting in the dark for an hour.

मैं रात का खाना बना रही थी जब बिजली चली गई। हम एक घंटे तक अँधेरे में बैठे रहे।

Press Speak, then say the sentence.
Task 2 · Listen and type

Listen and type the sentence.

Task 3 · Practice

Write a five-sentence mini story about a surprise (a guest arrived, rain started, a phone rang). Use the past continuous for the background and the simple past for the event.

Task 4 · Question

Complete: "I ___ a bath when you called."

Quick quiz

Question 1

1.Complete: "They ___ football at 5 pm yesterday."

Question 2

2.Which word usually goes before the long action?

Question 3

3.Choose the correct sentence.

Question 4

4.Complete: "While she was driving, her phone ___."

Open a question to see the answer and why. The first ones are this topic's own quiz, so try the quiz above before you peek.

Complete: "They ___ football at 5 pm yesterday."

Answer: were playing

They + were + verb-ing.

Which word usually goes before the long action?

Answer: while

"While" introduces the longer background action.

Choose the correct sentence.

Answer: I knew her.

"Know" is a state verb: use simple past "knew".

Complete: "While she was driving, her phone ___."

Answer: rang

The short, sudden event uses the simple past: rang.

What is the -ing form of "sit"?Related

Answer: sitting

Short verbs double the last letter: sitting.

From Present continuous: what is happening now

What is the past of "buy"?Related

Answer: bought

buy → bought. ("Brought" is the past of "bring".)

From Simple past: talking about yesterday

Which sentence is correct?Related

Answer: Yesterday I went to the bank and the manager was angry.

Keep the story in the past: "went" and "was".

From Telling a story well

"I had gone to the market yesterday" (with no other past action). Better?Related

Answer: I went to the market yesterday.

One simple finished action with a time: simple past.

From The tense map: all twelve tenses on one page

Pass the quiz (60% or more) or mark this topic as done when you are ready.

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Next: Present perfect: have done, has been →

Next steps

  1. 2 more topics in “Tenses made easy” before its exam: Present perfect: have done, has been, The tense map: all twelve tenses on one page.
  2. Module 6 exam: tenses · 13 questions · 20 min, without help. 4 topics of this module still to finish first.
  3. Then the next module, Polite and useful grammar. 59 topics left in the course before the final exam.

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