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Grammar · Verb tenses · A2 · Elementary

Past continuous

Last updated 21 July 2026

In short

The past continuous (was/were + verb-ing) describes an action in progress at a specific past moment, often interrupted by another action in the past simple: 'I was cooking when the phone rang.' It also sets the background scene in a story and describes two actions happening simultaneously with 'while'. It is not used for single, completed past actions.

How to form the past continuous

FormStructureExample
Positivesubject + was/were + verb-ingThe children were playing in the garden.
Negativesubject + was/were + not + verb-ingI wasn't listening when you called my name.
QuestionWas/Were + subject + verb-ing?Were you waiting long?
Short answerYes, I was. / No, I wasn't.“Was it raining?” “No, it wasn't.”

When do you use the past continuous?

Use the past continuous for an action that was in progress at a specific moment in the past — not finished, not yet started, but happening right at that point in time. The moment can be a clock time, another action, or a general point implied by the context.

  • At nine o'clock last night, I was still working at my desk.(in progress at a specific time)
  • What were you doing when the lights went out?
  • I was still working at my desk last night.

Interrupted actions: past continuous + past simple

The most common pattern pairs the two past tenses: the past continuous sets a longer background action, and the past simple marks the shorter action that interrupts it. 'When' usually introduces the interrupting event, and 'while' usually introduces the background one.

Getting the two tenses the right way round matters: swapping them changes which event interrupted which.

  • I was chatting with a neighbour when my phone buzzed.(chatting = background, buzzed = interruption)
  • While I was chatting with a neighbour, my phone buzzed.
  • I chatted with a neighbour when my phone was buzzing.(reverses which action is the background one)

'While' or 'when'?

'While' typically introduces the longer, background action and pairs naturally with the past continuous on both sides of the sentence when two things happen at once. 'When' typically introduces the shorter, completed action and pairs naturally with the past simple.

Both words are flexible in practice — the deciding factor is really which tense follows them, not the word itself.

  • While the kettle was boiling, I checked my messages.(while + continuous, main clause + simple)
  • When the kettle boiled, I made the tea.(when + simple, sequential actions)
  • While my sister was studying, my brother was cooking dinner.(two parallel background actions with 'while')

Past continuous or past simple?

Choose the past simple for a completed action or a short sequence of events told in order. Choose the past continuous only when you need to show that an action was unfinished at a particular past moment, usually because something else happened during it.

A common error is overusing the past continuous for simple completed events: 'I was going to the shop and I was buying bread' should simply be 'I went to the shop and bought bread', because both actions are complete, sequential events, not backgrounds.

  • I went to the shop and bought some bread.(two completed, sequential actions → simple)
  • I was going to the shop and buying bread.(no interruption or background needed → I went…and bought)
  • I was walking home when it started to rain.(background + interruption is the correct use)

Setting the scene in a story (IELTS Part 2)

In narratives, the past continuous is ideal for painting the background at the start of a story before the main events unfold in the past simple. This mirrors how the past perfect adds background before a story, but the past continuous adds background at the same time as the story's opening moment.

  • The sun was setting over the harbour, and fishing boats were coming in for the night when I first saw her.(background scene, then a main event)
  • Everyone was talking and laughing when the power suddenly cut out.

Common mistakes with past continuous

Real learner errors, corrected and explained — the fastest way to stop repeating them.

I was going to the cinema and I was watching a comedy.

I went to the cinema and watched a comedy.

Two completed, sequential actions with no interruption need the past simple, not the past continuous.

While I cooked dinner, the doorbell rang.

While I was cooking dinner, the doorbell rang.

'While' introduces a background action in progress, which needs the past continuous, not the past simple.

She was knowing the answer when the teacher asked.

She knew the answer when the teacher asked.

Know is a stative verb and never takes the continuous form, even in past-tense storytelling.

When I was walking to work, I saw an accident and I was calling an ambulance.

When I was walking to work, I saw an accident and called an ambulance.

The two short, sequential reactions (saw, called) stay in the past simple; only the ongoing background action (was walking) takes the continuous.

It was raining while I decided to stay home.

It was raining, so I decided to stay home.

'While' should link two simultaneous actions of similar length; a background state plus a resulting decision reads more naturally with 'so'.

I was living in Doha for three years before I was moving to Amman.

I was living in Doha for three years before I moved to Amman.

A single completed action (the move) that follows a longer background state takes the past simple, not the continuous.

The match was already finishing when we was arriving.

The match had already finished when we arrived.

The earlier of two past events needs the past perfect (had finished), and the subject 'we' needs 'were' or, more naturally here, the plain past simple 'arrived'.

Past continuous in IELTS

Grammatical Range and Accuracy is 25% of your Speaking and Writing scores — here is where this structure earns marks.

Speaking

  • Part 2 stories score higher when you open with a past continuous scene-setter — 'The rain was falling heavily and the streets were almost empty when the story really begins' — before switching to past simple for the main events.
  • Practise the while/when pattern out loud: 'While I was waiting for the bus, I bumped into an old classmate.' Examiners listen for exactly this pairing as evidence of accurate complex structures.

Writing

  • Task 2 narrative examples (a personal anecdote to illustrate a point) benefit from one past continuous background clause to avoid a flat list of past simple events: 'While house prices were rising sharply, wages remained largely unchanged.'
  • In Task 1 line graphs describing a past period, the past continuous is rarely needed — reserve it only for describing a trend that was mid-way through changing at a specific labelled point, and default to the past simple otherwise.

Practise past continuous now

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Frequently asked questions

When do you use the past continuous?
Use the past continuous for an action in progress at a specific past moment, especially when another shorter action interrupts it: 'I was reading when the lights went out.' It also sets the background scene at the start of a story.
What is the difference between 'while' and 'when' in the past continuous?
'While' typically introduces the longer, ongoing background action and pairs with the past continuous: 'While I was cooking, she arrived.' 'When' typically introduces the shorter, completed action and pairs with the past simple: 'She arrived when I was cooking.' The tense that follows each word matters more than the word itself.
Can two actions both be in the past continuous in one sentence?
Yes, when two actions were happening at the same time, with neither interrupting the other: 'While my father was driving, my mother was reading the map.' This use of 'while' links two parallel background actions rather than a background plus an interruption.
Why can't stative verbs like 'know' be used in the past continuous?
Stative verbs describe states, not actions in progress, so they stay in the past simple even inside a story: 'I knew the way home' is correct; 'I was knowing the way home' is not, exactly as in the present tense.
What is the difference between the past continuous and the past perfect?
The past continuous shows an action in progress at a past moment ('I was cooking when you called'). The past perfect shows an action already complete before a past moment ('I had cooked before you called'). One is mid-action; the other is already finished.

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