Past Continuous vs Past Simple: Rules, Examples and Common Mistakes

The past continuous (was/were + verb-ing) describes an action that was in progress at a moment in the past. The past simple (worked, went, saw) describes a finished action. We often use them together: the past continuous for the longer background action and the past simple for the short action that happened in the middle of it.

I was watching TV when the phone rang.

The two tenses at a glance

	Past continuous	Past simple
Form	was/were + verb-ing	verb + -ed or irregular form
Meaning	action in progress, not finished at that moment	complete, finished action
Typical length	longer, background action	shorter action or event
Example	At 8 pm I was cooking.	At 8 pm I cooked dinner.
Typical words	while, at 8 o’clock, all evening	when, yesterday, last week, ago

How to form the past continuous

Use was or were (the past of be) + the -ing form of the main verb. If you need to review was and were, see our guide to the past simple of to be.

Affirmative

Subject	was/were	verb-ing
I / he / she / it	was	working
you / we / they	were	working

She was reading a book. They were playing football.

Negative

Subject	was not / were not	verb-ing
I / he / she / it	wasn’t	working
you / we / they	weren’t	working

I wasn’t sleeping. We weren’t listening.

Questions and short answers

Was/Were	subject	verb-ing	Short answers
Was	I / he / she / it	working?	Yes, he was. / No, he wasn’t.
Were	you / we / they	working?	Yes, they were. / No, they weren’t.

What were you doing at 10 o’clock? Was it raining when you left?

Spelling of the -ing form

The spelling rules are the same as for the present continuous:

• Most verbs: add -ing → read → reading, play → playing
• Verbs ending in -e: drop the e → make → making, write → writing
• One syllable, consonant + vowel + consonant: double the last letter → run → running, sit → sitting, stop → stopping
• Verbs ending in -ie: change to -y → lie → lying, die → dying

How to form the past simple

Regular verbs add -ed (walk → walked, live → lived, study → studied). Irregular verbs have their own forms (go → went, see → saw, buy → bought). Negatives and questions use did + the base form: I didn’t see him. Did you call? For full rules and a list of irregular verbs, read our Past Simple guide.

When to use the past continuous

1. An action in progress at a specific time in the past

The action started before that time and continued after it.

• At 7 o’clock this morning, I was having breakfast.
• What were you doing at midnight?
• This time last year, we were living in Madrid.

Compare: At 7 o’clock I had breakfast means breakfast started at 7. At 7 o’clock I was having breakfast means I was in the middle of breakfast at 7.

2. Background description in a story

We use the past continuous to set the scene: the weather, what people were doing, the situation.

• It was raining and people were waiting for the bus.
• The sun was shining and the children were laughing.

3. Two long actions happening at the same time

Use the past continuous for both actions, usually with while.

• While I was cooking, my husband was setting the table.
• She was talking on the phone while she was driving.

When to use the past simple

1. Finished actions at a known time

• I visited my grandparents last weekend.
• We moved to London in 2020.

2. A series of actions, one after another

• He got up, had a shower and left the house.
• She opened the door, saw the mess and called her brother.

3. A short action that interrupts a longer one

This is the most common way the two tenses work together.

• I was walking home when I saw an accident.
• We were having dinner when the lights went out.

Interrupted actions: when and while

Think of a long line (past continuous) and a short point that cuts it (past simple).

Long action (past continuous)	Short action (past simple)
I was taking a shower	when the doorbell rang.
She was crossing the road	when she dropped her phone.
They were sleeping	when the alarm went off.

While usually comes before the long action (past continuous). When usually comes before the short action (past simple).

• While I was studying, my friend called.
• I was studying when my friend called.

Both sentences have the same meaning. Notice the comma: use one when the when/while part comes first.

• When the film started, we were still buying popcorn.
• We were still buying popcorn when the film started.

When the tense changes the meaning

The choice of tense can change the story:

• When Anna arrived, we were having dinner. → We started dinner before she arrived.
• When Anna arrived, we had dinner. → She arrived first, then we had dinner.

Verbs we don’t usually use in the continuous

Some verbs describe states, not actions. We normally use them in the past simple, even for a situation that continued.

Common state verbs: know, like, love, hate, want, need, believe, understand, remember, belong, seem.

• I knew the answer. (not I was knowing)
• She wanted a new bike. (not She was wanting)
• We didn’t understand the question.

Signal words

Past continuous	Past simple
while	when (+ short action)
at 6 pm yesterday, at that moment	yesterday, last night, last year
all day, all evening (in progress)	… ago, in 2019, on Monday
this time last week	then, after that, first, suddenly

Signal words help, but always think about the meaning: was the action in progress or complete?

Common mistakes

✗ I watching TV when you called. → ✓ I was watching TV when you called. The past continuous needs was or were.

✗ They was playing tennis. → ✓ They were playing tennis. Use were with you, we, they.

✗ I was walking home when I was seeing an accident. → ✓ I was walking home when I saw an accident. The short, interrupting action is in the past simple.

✗ While I cooked, the phone was ringing. → ✓ While I was cooking, the phone rang. The long action is past continuous; the short one is past simple.

✗ I was knowing her name. → ✓ I knew her name. Know is a state verb and is not normally used in the continuous.

✗ Were you went to the party? → ✓ Did you go to the party? Past simple questions use did + base form.

✗ She was stoping the car. → ✓ She was stopping the car. Double the final consonant in short verbs like stop, run, sit.

✗ Yesterday I was going to the cinema with Tom. (for the whole finished event) → ✓ Yesterday I went to the cinema with Tom. For a complete event, use the past simple.

Quick check

Choose the correct form.

1. I ___ (read) a book when the lights went out.
2. While we were walking in the park, it ___ (start) to rain.
3. What ___ you ___ (do) at 9 o’clock last night?
4. She ___ (not / listen) when the teacher explained the homework.
5. I ___ (know) the answer, but I didn’t say anything.

Answers

1. was reading – long action in progress, interrupted.
2. started – short action that happened during the walk.
3. were you doing – action in progress at a specific time.
4. wasn’t listening – she was in the middle of not paying attention.
5. knew – know is a state verb.

Next step

Now practise choosing between the two tenses in real sentences: test yourself with our A2 Past Continuous vs Past Simple test. If the irregular past forms slow you down, try the A2 Past Simple test first, and when you feel confident, move on to telling longer stories with our guide to narrative tenses.