Past Continuous Tense - Usage & Explanation

Usages and grammar explanations for the past continuous tense.

The Past Continuous Tense is used to describe actions that were happening at a particular moment in the past. It emphasizes the duration or continuity of an action before it was interrupted or before it naturally ended.

Formula

Affirmative: Subject + was/were + verb+ing

I/He/She/It	was + Ving
You/We/They	were + Ving

I was working.

He was working.

We were working.

Negative: Subject + was/were + not + verb+ing

I/He/She/It	was + not + Ving
You/We/They	were + not + Ving

I was not working. = I wasn’t working.

He was not working. = He wasn’t working.

We were not working. = We weren’t working.

Question: Was/were + Subject + verb+ing

Was	I/He/She/It + Ving
Were	You/We/They + Ving

Was he working?

Were you working?

Time Expressions

At that moment, at this time yesterday, at this time last week, at 5 PM yesterday, at noon, at midnight, while, as, when, all day, all night, the whole morning, the whole afternoon, the whole evening, just as, during the summer, during that period, for a few days, for a few weeks, for a few months, for hours, for a long time.

Usages

To talk about actions happening at a certain time in the past.

At 8 PM last night, I was studying.

He was reading a book at midnight.

At noon, the workers were repairing the road.

She was studying for her exam at 8 PM last night.

They were playing football at this time last week.

We were having dinner when the clock struck 8.

To talk about two or more actions happening at the same time in the past (Past Continuous + Past Continuous).

As I was cooking, she was setting the table.

They were dancing while the band was playing.

We were walking to school while it was raining.

She was writing an email while I was talking on the phone.

While I was washing the dishes, my brother was watching TV.

The baby was sleeping while the mother was cleaning the room.

To describe a situation where an action was in progress and then interrupted by another action in the past (Past Continuous + Past Simple).

I was sleeping when the phone rang.

They were watching TV when I arrived.

She was walking home when it started to rain.

When we arrived home the dog was barking.

We were having lunch when the fire alarm went off.

When I entered the room, people were talking and laughing.

To describe the scene or background details in a past event or story.

She was sitting by the window, watching the raindrops fall.

It was raining heavily, and cars were moving slowly on the wet roads.

The streets were busy, cars were honking, and pedestrians were rushing to work.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and a light breeze was blowing.

Once upon a time, a young girl was wandering through the forest, searching for wildflowers.

To talk about repeated actions in the past to express irritation, often with words like always, constantly.

He was always forgetting his keys!

She was constantly complaining about her job.

They were always making noise late at night.

We were constantly arguing over small things.

My little brother was always asking too many questions.

To describe changing or developing events in the past.

Prices were rising rapidly due to inflation.

The baby was growing stronger each day.

She was improving her skills with daily practice.

Technology was advancing at an incredible speed.

Tensions between the two countries were increasing.