⏳ Lesson 5.1: Past Continuous — What Was Happening

You already know how to say what happened yesterday with the past simple: "I cooked dinner." But sometimes we want to freeze a moment and describe the action in progress — what was happening at 8 o'clock, right in the middle. For that, English uses the past continuous. In this lesson you'll learn to paint the picture of a past moment, so your stories come alive. 🎥

📚 What You'll Learn

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Form the past continuous with was / were + verb-ing
Make negatives (wasn't / weren't + -ing) and questions (What were you doing?)
Set a scene and describe an action in progress at a past time
Describe two actions happening at the same time with while

⏱️ Estimated Time: 45–55 minutes

🎯 Project: Describe what you were doing at three different times yesterday in 6+ sentences using the past continuous — spoken to a partner or recorded on your phone.

In This Lesson

Freezing a Past Moment

Imagine someone asks you: "What were you doing at eight o'clock last night?" You don't want to say only "I cooked dinner" — that sounds finished. Instead, you want to point to that exact moment and describe the action in the middle of happening: "At eight o'clock I was cooking dinner." The cooking wasn't finished — it was in progress. That is exactly the job of the past continuous. 🍳

Think of a photograph of a past moment. The past simple says what happened, start to end. The past continuous holds the picture still and shows you the action mid-way through. Both are useful, and soon you'll use them together.

🧠 Mindset

Good news: you already know both parts of this tense. In A2 Lesson 1.1 you learned was and were. And you've been using the -ing form since the present continuous ("I'm cooking"). The past continuous simply joins them: was/were + -ing. You're not learning something brand new — you're combining two things you already have. If it feels tricky at first, that's normal. Add the magic word: "I can't use the past continuous smoothly… yet." 🌱

The Form: was/were + -ing

The pattern is simple and never changes: subject + was / were + verb-ing. You only need to choose was or were for the person — and the choice is exactly the same as with was/were from Lesson 1.1.

I was cooking dinner. · She was reading a book. · They were watching TV.

Here is the verb for every person. Notice the two groups: I / he / she / it use was, and you / we / they use were.

Person	was / were	Example
I	was + -ing	I was working at 9 p.m.
you	were + -ing	You were sleeping.
he / she / it	was + -ing	She was studying English.
we	were + -ing	We were having lunch.
they	were + -ing	They were playing soccer.

graph LR
    S["Subject"] --> BE["was / were"]
    BE --> V["verb + ing"]

💡 A time word usually points to the moment

The past continuous loves a moment in time. Add words like at 8 p.m., at that time, this morning, yesterday afternoon, or then: "At midnight we were sleeping." These words show when the action was in progress.

-ing Spelling Recap

The -ing spelling is the same one you learned for the present continuous. Here is a quick reminder so your writing stays correct:

Rule	Verb	-ing form
Most verbs: just add -ing	watch, play, read	watching, playing, reading
Ends in -e: drop the e, add -ing	make, write, have	making, writing, having
Short verb, one vowel + one consonant: double it	run, sit, swim	running, sitting, swimming
Ends in -ie: change to -ying	lie, die	lying, dying

⚠️ Important Note: Some verbs describe states, not actions, and we usually don't use them in the continuous: know, like, want, need, love. Say "I knew the answer," not "I was knowing the answer." Keep the continuous for real actions you can picture happening.

Negatives & Questions

To make a negative, add not after was/were — just like the negative of was/were in Lesson 1.1. The short forms are wasn't and weren't.

Person	Negative (short form)	Example
I / he / she / it	wasn't + -ing	He wasn't listening to me.
you / we / they	weren't + -ing	They weren't working yesterday.

To make a question, put was/were at the front, then the subject, then the -ing verb.

Question	Short answer (yes)	Short answer (no)
Were you sleeping?	Yes, I was.	No, I wasn't.
Was she working?	Yes, she was.	No, she wasn't.
Were they waiting?	Yes, they were.	No, they weren't.

⚠️ Important Note: In a short answer, use only was or were: say "Yes, I was." Don't repeat the -ing verb, and don't leave out was/were (not "Yes, I.").

You can also ask for information with Wh- words:

What were you doing at 9? Where was she going? Who were they talking to? Why was he crying? What were we watching?

Setting the Scene

One of the best jobs of the past continuous is to set a scene — to describe the background of a story. Before you tell what happened, you paint the picture: what was going on all around.

"It was a quiet evening. The rain was falling softly. My family was watching TV, and I was reading a book by the window."

Can you see the picture? Nothing is finished — everything is happening at once, in the middle. That is the feeling of the past continuous: a living moment, not a list of finished events.

✅ Why this matters

Good stories almost always begin with a scene. When you can set the scene with the past continuous, your English sounds richer and more natural. You are no longer only saying what happened — you are showing what it was like. That's a big step up from A1. 🌟

Two Actions at Once

We also use the past continuous for two actions happening at the same time in the past. We often join them with the word while. Both verbs are in the past continuous, because both were in progress together.

"While I was reading, she was cooking." · "He was studying while the children were playing."

graph LR
    A["I was reading"] --- W["at the same time"]
    W --- B["she was cooking"]

💡 while = at the same time

The word while tells the listener: these two actions overlapped. You can put while at the start or in the middle: "While I was reading, she was cooking" = "She was cooking while I was reading." The meaning is the same. If while comes first, remember the comma in the middle.

Now let's hear two friends remember a past moment:

A: I called you at nine last night, but you didn't answer. What were you doing?
B: Sorry! I was taking a shower at nine. What were you doing so late?
A: I was cooking a big dinner. My brother was helping me in the kitchen.
B: Nice! And what was your sister doing? Was she helping too?
A: No, she wasn't. She was watching a movie while we were cooking. She only came for the food!
B: Ha! That sounds like her. It was raining here all evening, so I was just relaxing at home.

⚠️ Watch Out: don't forget the verb

The past continuous always needs two parts: was/were and the -ing verb. Don't drop either one. ❌ "I cooking dinner." · ❌ "I was cook dinner." · ✅ "I was cooking dinner."

🔊 Hear It & Repeat — Model Sentences

Listen to each model sentence, then say it back. Use the 🎧 Audio control (bottom-right) to pick a UK or US voice and make the speed slower. These sentences use the past continuous to describe actions in progress in the past.

At eight o'clock I was cooking dinner.
They were watching TV all evening.
She wasn't listening to me.
What were you doing at nine last night?
While I was reading, she was cooking.

Practice & Project

🏋️ Exercise 1: was or were + verb

Objective: Fill each gap with was or were. Read the whole sentence to find the subject.

At 8 p.m. I cooking dinner.
They watching TV.
She reading a book.
We waiting for the bus.
He studying at the library.

✅ Answer

1. was · 2. were · 3. was · 4. were · 5. was

🏋️ Exercise 2: Build a past-continuous question

Objective: Fill the gap with the correct question word — was or were.

What you doing at nine?
she working yesterday morning?
Where they going?
Why he running?
we waiting in the wrong place?

✅ Answer

1. were · 2. Was · 3. were · 4. was · 5. Were

🏋️ Exercise 3: Make it negative

Objective: Rewrite each sentence in the negative using wasn't or weren't.

I was sleeping at ten.
They were listening carefully.
She was working on Sunday.
We were playing outside.

✅ Answer

1. I wasn't sleeping at ten. · 2. They weren't listening carefully. · 3. She wasn't working on Sunday. · 4. We weren't playing outside.

🎯 Your Project: My Yesterday, Moment by Moment

Speak out loud — to a partner, in class, or into your phone's recorder. Describe what you were doing at three different times yesterday.

(3 min) Choose three times from yesterday (for example, 8 a.m., 1 p.m., 9 p.m.). For each one, say what you were doing: "At 8 a.m. I was traveling to work."
(2 min) Add 6 or more sentences in total. Include at least one negative ("I wasn't…") and one sentence with while (two actions at once).
(2 min) Ask a partner (or imagine one): "What were you doing at 9 last night?" and listen to their answer.
(1 min) If you recorded yourself, listen back. Did you use was/were + -ing every time?

✅ Project Completion Checklist

☐ I said 6+ sentences about yesterday with the past continuous
☐ I used both parts every time (was/were + verb-ing)
☐ I included one negative (wasn't / weren't)
☐ I used while for two actions at the same time
☐ I asked and answered a "What were you doing…?" question

🎯 Quick Quiz

Question 1: Choose the correct sentence.

Question 2: Complete: "___ they watching TV?" — "No, they ___."

Tips & Common Mistakes

✅ Do's

Use both parts every time: was/were and the -ing verb.
Match the person: I / he / she / it → was; you / we / they → were.
Add a time word (at 8 p.m., yesterday morning, at that time) to show the moment.
Use while to join two actions that were happening at the same time.

❌ Common Mistakes

⚠️ Watch Out

"I cooking dinner." ❌ → "I was cooking dinner." ✅ (don't drop was/were).
"They was watching TV." ❌ → "They were watching TV." ✅ (they takes were).
"I was knowing the answer." ❌ → "I knew the answer." ✅ (state verbs don't take the continuous).
"She was cook." ❌ → "She was cooking." ✅ (use the -ing form after was/were).

📓 Learning Journal

Keep your learning journal going. After this lesson, take a few minutes to write down:

Key concepts you learned
Things that clicked for you
Questions or confusion points to revisit
Ideas you want to try
Your progress and feelings about describing the past

✍️ This lesson's prompt: Think about last night. Write three sentences about what you were doing at three different times — for example, "At 7 p.m. I was making dinner." Then write one sentence with while that shows two actions at the same time, like "While I was eating, my phone was ringing."

📝 Lesson Summary

🎓 Key Takeaways

Form: subject + was/were + verb-ing for an action in progress in the past.
Use was with I / he / she / it, and were with you / we / they.
Negatives: wasn't / weren't + -ing; questions put was/were at the front.
The past continuous sets the scene and shows a moment in the middle of happening.
Use while for two actions happening at the same time.

🎉 What You've Accomplished

You can now freeze a past moment and describe what was happening — the background, the middle of the action, and two things at once. Your stories are no longer just a list of finished events; they have life and color. Combine this with the past simple you already know, and you're ready to tell real stories. That's a solid A2 step forward. 🎉

❓ Common Questions at This Stage

What's the difference between "I cooked" and "I was cooking"?

"I cooked dinner" is the past simple — it tells you the action is finished, complete. "I was cooking dinner" is the past continuous — it shows the action in progress at a moment, not necessarily finished. In the next lesson we'll use both together in stories.

When do I use "was" and when do I use "were"?

It's the same rule you learned in Lesson 1.1. Use was with I, he, she, it. Use were with you, we, they. The -ing verb after it never changes.

Can I use "when" instead of "while"?

You can, but they feel a little different. While is the natural choice for two long actions happening together ("While I was reading, she was cooking"). When is often used for a short action that interrupts a longer one — and that's exactly what we'll explore in the next lesson!

🔭 Looking Ahead

Right now you can describe an action in progress on its own. But the real magic happens when the past continuous meets the past simple — when a long background action is interrupted by a sudden event. In Lesson 5.2: Past Continuous vs Past Simple — when & while, you'll learn how these two tenses work together to tell exciting little stories.

✅ Before the Next Lesson

Say six sentences about what you were doing at different times yesterday.
Make one negative sentence with wasn't or weren't.
Say one sentence with while that shows two actions at the same time.
Write your Learning Journal entry for this lesson.

🌟 Encouragement for the Journey

Every story you'll ever tell has a moment "in the middle" — the rain falling, the phone ringing, someone waiting. Now you can paint that moment in English. You took two things you already knew and made something new. That's how real progress feels. See you in Lesson 5.2! 👋