I was reading when you called.
- Language
- English
- Level
- B2
- Unit
- Verb Tenses and Aspects
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
The past continuous is a tense in English used to talk about actions that were happening at a specific moment in the past.
When to use it
Use the past continuous to describe actions that were in progress at a certain time in the past, or to show that one action was happening when another action interrupted it.
Key forms
- was/were + verb-ing
- I was eating.
- They were playing.
Examples
She was cooking dinner at 7 pm.
They were watching TV all evening.
We were walking to school when it started to rain.
Tips
- Remember to use 'was' with I/he/she/it and 'were' with you/we/they.
- Don't forget to add '-ing' to the main verb.
- Use the past simple for the action that interrupts the past continuous action.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Some verbs (like 'know', 'believe', 'love') are not usually used in continuous forms.