Past Continuous
Learn how to form the past continuous, how it describes an action already underway at a past moment, and how it combines with the past simple to show an interruption.
Standing inside a past moment
The past continuous places you inside a moment already happening.
The past continuous shows an action that was in progress at a specific point in the past. It is formed with was or were, plus the -ing form.
In She was working when I called., was working places you inside that past moment, viewing an action already underway when a second, shorter action, called, took place.
This lesson covers how the past continuous is formed, what it describes, and how when and while are typically used with it.
Before you begin
This is one of four topics on past tenses.
This lesson focuses on the past continuous specifically. Past tenses as a whole includes three other topics, each covered in its own lesson.
If you would like an overview of past tenses in general, begin with the Past Tenses page.
The central idea
The past continuous views the action from inside that moment.
Compare a past simple sentence with a past continuous sentence describing a related idea.
01
Past simple
She worked yesterday.
02
Past continuous
She was working when I called.
The useful question is: is this a whole action, or a moment inside it?
The first sentence states the action as a completed whole. The second places the listener at a specific moment inside it, already in progress.
Forming the past continuous
Was or were, plus the -ing form.
I, he, she and it use was
She was working.
You, we and they use were
They were working.
What the past continuous describes
Three situations call for this tense.
An action in progress at a specific past time
At nine o’clock, she was driving to work.
A background action, interrupted by another
She was cooking dinner when the phone rang.
Two actions happening at the same time
She was cooking while he was setting the table.
When and while
These two words typically pair with different tenses.
When usually introduces the shorter, interrupting event
She was cooking when the phone rang.
The past simple typically follows when in this pattern.
While usually introduces the longer, background action
While she was cooking, the phone rang.
The past continuous typically follows while in this pattern.
A useful decision guide
Ask whether this is a whole action, or a moment inside one.
01
Was this action already in progress at a specific past moment?
If so, the past continuous usually fits.
02
Was this action interrupted by a shorter one?
The interrupting action typically takes the past simple.
03
Were two actions happening at the same time?
Both often take the past continuous, joined by while.
04
Does was or were match the subject?
Confirm the correct form before the -ing form.
Common mistakes
A missing was or were is the most frequent slip.
Was or were is not left out.
Not: She working when I called.
Correct: She was working when I called.
The correct form of be matches the subject.
Not: They was working when I called.
Correct: They were working when I called.
The past continuous is not used for a single completed action.
Not: She was calling me yesterday. (a single, brief phone call)
Correct: She called me yesterday.
Check your understanding
Which sentence is correctly formed?
Choose the correct answer for each pair.
Which sentence is correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! “Was” is needed before “reading”.
❎ Not quite. Is “was” missing here?
Compare this to “was cooking” earlier in this lesson.
Which sentence is correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! “They” takes “were”, not “was”.
❎ Not quite. Does “they” pair with “was” or “were”?
Compare this to “you were” and “we were”.
Which sentence best describes a single, brief phone call?
✅ Exactly! A single, brief action fits the past simple better.
❎ Not quite. Is this action ongoing, or a single completed event?
Is a phone call usually a long, ongoing action?
Choose the best explanation
Select the sentence that explains the choice correctly.
Why does “She was cooking dinner when the phone rang.” use two different tenses?
✅ Exactly! This combination is a common pattern for describing an interruption.
❎ Not quite. Both verbs are already correctly formed here.
Why is “They was working when I called.” not correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! “They were working” is the correctly formed sentence.
❎ Not quite. “Called” correctly fits the shorter, interrupting event here.
Quick review
The past continuous views an action from inside a past moment.
The past continuous is formed with was or were, plus the -ing form.
It describes an action in progress at a specific past moment, a background action another event interrupts, or two actions happening at the same time.
When typically introduces the shorter, interrupting event; while typically introduces the longer, background action.
Remember
Picture the past moment, and ask what was already happening inside it.
The past continuous works best when you can picture a specific past moment, with the action already underway inside it.