Past Continuous: The Background Tense
was/were + -ing paints the background scene of the past: what was happening when something else happened. The camera rolls, then the phone rings.
Past Continuous
The scene behind the story
The past continuous is a film camera: it records what was in progress at a past moment. Meanwhile, the past simple drops in as the interruptor — the thing that happened.
The background
action in progressI was cooking when the phone rang
The interruptor
past simple drops inThe phone rang while I was cooking
Two at once
parallel actionsWhile she was cooking, he was cleaning
Exact moment
a fixed time in the pastAt 8 p.m., we were watching TV
⚠️ was/were + verb-ing. Was with I/he/she/it; were with you/we/they.
The Formula
was/were + verb-ing
The formula is the present continuous with the time machine: was or were plus the -ing verb. Negatives add not, questions swap the order.
Iwas sleepingat midnight
Theywere playingfootball
Shewasn't listening
Were youwatchingTV at 9?
Common Mistakes
Four camera slips
The camera fails when the -ing goes missing, when was and were swap places, or when a habit tries to film as a scene.
I was went to the shop.
I was going to the shop.
💡 Past continuous = was/were + -ing, not + past simple.
She were cooking dinner.
She was cooking dinner.
💡 was pairs with she; were with you/we/they.
I was work when she called.
I was working when she called.
💡 The -ing is non-negotiable.
I was working every day last year.
I worked every day last year.
💡 A routine takes past simple — continuous is for in-progress moments.
Quick Quiz
Test what you just learned
Three minutes, five questions — check what stuck. No essay questions, we promise.
She ___ a book when I arrived.
💡 Info supplémentaire2 sections
Scene and Interruptor
The stretch and the pin
On the timeline, the background is a long stretch and the interruptor is a single pin. That is the whole story of this tense.
I was cooking dinner when…
…the phone rang
⚠️ Range = the scene. Point = the interruptor.
Simple or Continuous?
One question picks the tense
Past events come in two flavours: complete events and running scenes. Ask which one you mean.