Form
was / were + verb-ing (was: I, he, she, it · were: you, we, they)
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|
| I was cooking. / They were playing. | She wasn't working. / We weren't listening. | Were you sleeping? / What was he doing? |
Short answers: Yes, I was. · No, they weren't.
Use
- Action in progress at a specific past moment: At 8 p.m. I was watching TV.
- Interrupted action: I was cooking when the phone rang. (long action = past continuous, short action = past simple)
- Two actions at the same time: She was reading while he was cooking.
- Background and description: It was raining and the sun wasn't shining.
Words used with it
while, when, at 8 o'clock last night, all day yesterday, at that time.
Spelling of -ing
run → running · make → making · lie → lying · sit → sitting
Watch out
She were sleeping → She was sleeping. We was waiting → We were waiting.- No did:
Did you were working? → Were you working? - State verbs (know, want, like) are not used in the continuous:
He was knowing → He knew.
En español
Pasado continuo (was/were + -ing) = lo que estaba pasando en un momento del pasado: Estaba cocinando cuando sonó el teléfono. La acción larga va en pasado continuo; la corta (la interrupción), en pasado simple.
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