Past Continuous is one of the twelve core English tenses. It describes an action that was in progress at a specific moment in the past — often setting the scene, or interrupted by another shorter action.
When to use past continuous
Action in progress at a specific past moment
Something that was happening at a stated time in the past.
A longer action interrupted by a shorter one
The classic pairing: past continuous (background) + past simple (interrupting event).
Two parallel actions happening at the same time
Two things in progress simultaneously, often with "while."
Setting the scene in a story
Describing the background situation before the main events unfold.
Structure & formula
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subject + was/were + verb-ing | I was watching TV at 9 p.m. |
| Negative | Subject + was/were + not + verb-ing | I wasn't watching TV. |
| Yes/No question | Was/Were + subject + verb-ing? | Were you watching TV? |
| WH question | WH word + was/were + subject + verb-ing? | What were you watching? |
Signal words & time expressions
These words often (though not always) signal that past continuous is the right choice:
while, when, as, at that moment, all day yesterday, at 8 o'clock last night
Common mistakes
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| While I cooked, he was watching TV. | While I was cooking, he was watching TV. | Two parallel ongoing actions with "while" both usually take past continuous, not a mix of past simple and continuous. |
| I was going to school when I see him. | I was going to school when I saw him. | The interrupting (shorter) action takes past simple ("saw"), not continuous. |
| She was knowing the answer. | She knew the answer. | State verbs (know, believe, want) don't take continuous forms — use past simple instead. |
Quick practice
Complete each sentence with the correct form.
- I _____ (read) a book when the phone rang.
- They _____ (not / listen) when I explained the plan.
- _____ you _____ (sleep) at midnight?
- While she _____ (drive), he _____ (check) the map.
- It _____ (rain) heavily when we left the house.
Quick summary
FAQs
Which action goes in past continuous when one interrupts another?
The longer, background action goes in past continuous; the shorter, interrupting action goes in past simple: "I was cooking (background) when the phone rang (interruption)."
Can I use past continuous with state verbs?
Generally no — verbs like know, want, and believe describe a state, not an ongoing action, so they normally stay in past simple even when describing something happening at a specific past time.