English Mastery
Module 1 · Verb Tenses

Past Continuous

Intermediate45 min25 questions7 sections
Step 1

Quick Look

The Past Continuous describes an action that was in progress at a moment in the past — the Hindi ‘kar rahā thā / rahī thī’. Its favourite job is pairing with the Simple Past: one long action (continuous) gets interrupted by one short action (simple).
Sentence TypeStructure + Example
Affirmative
Subject+was/were+verb-ing
I was driving to Noida.
Negative
Subject+was/were+not+verb-ing
I was not driving fast.
Question
Was/Were+subject+verb-ing?
Were you driving at that time?

The golden rule: was = I / he / she / it. Were = you / we / they. And in a ‘when’ sentence, the long background action takes Past Continuous while the sudden interrupting action takes Simple Past.

Step 2

When to Use It

in progressNOW9 P.M.PASTFUTURE
Use 1

Action in progress at a specific past moment

At that exact time, the action was happening.
  • At 9 p.m. last night, I was preparing the presentation.
  • This time last year, we were living in Vaishali.
long actionshort actionNOWPASTFUTURE
Use 2

Interrupted actions (the classic when/while pattern)

The long action (Past Continuous) is interrupted by a short one (Simple Past).
  • I was taking a shower when the electricity went off.
  • She was cooking dinner when the guests arrived.
  • While he was driving, someone called him.
checkingwatchingsame timeNOWPASTFUTURE
Use 3

Two parallel actions in the past

Two things happening at the same time — usually joined by ‘while’.
  • While I was checking emails, my wife was watching the news.
  • The kids were studying while their father was working late.
background12story eventsNOWPASTFUTURE
Use 4

Setting the scene / atmosphere

Describing the background of a story.
  • It was raining, the wind was howling, and the streets were flooding.
  • When I reached the venue, people were dancing and the music was playing loudly.
Which action is long, which is short?
long action: was / were + -ingshort action: Simple PastI was sleeping when the phone rang.While he was driving, someone called him.When I reached home, it was raining.
The picture, not the word order, decides: the long background action takes was / were + -ing; the short interruption takes the Simple Past.
Step 3

Hindi Concept Note

अHindi Concept Noteहिंदी में समझिए
Past Continuous बीते समय में चल रहे काम को बताता है — ‘कर रहा था / कर रही थी / कर रहे थे’।
मैं सो रहा था।
I was sleeping.
वे खाना खा रहे थे।
They were eating.
‘When’ वाले वाक्यों का formula याद रखें: लंबा काम (jo chal rahā thā) = Past Continuous, बीच में आने वाला छोटा काम = Simple Past।
मैं सो रहा था जब फ़ोन बजा।
I was sleeping when the phone rang.
Step 4

Common Mistakes Hindi Speakers Make

Wrong
Right
Why
I was sleep when he came.
I was sleeping when he came.
was/were always needs the -ing form.
They was playing outside.
They were playing outside.
They were. Was is only for I/he/she/it.
When I was reaching home, it rained.
When I reached home, it was raining.
Reaching home is the short action (Simple Past); the rain is the background (Continuous).
I was knowing something was wrong.
I knew something was wrong.
Stative verbs stay out of continuous — in every tense.
While she cooked, the phone was rang.
While she was cooking, the phone rang.
Long action was cooking. Short interruption rang (no ‘was’).
What you were doing at 10 pm?
What were you doing at 10 p.m.?
In questions, was/were jumps before the subject.
Step 5

Signal Words

If you see these patterns, think Past Continuous:
when + Simple Past interruption (I was working when he called)
while (While I was talking...), as (As we were leaving...)
at that timeat that momentat 8 p.m. yesterdaythis time last week
all day / all evening / the whole night (continuous background)
Step 6

Practice

Set A

Fill in the blanks

0 / 10
  1. 1
    I (drive) to Greater Noida when you called.
  2. 2
    They (not/pay) attention during the meeting.
  3. 3
    What you (do) at midnight?
  4. 4
    While she (talk) on the phone, the milk boiled over.
  5. 5
    It (rain) heavily when we left the office.
  6. 6
    The workers (paint) the walls all day yesterday.
  7. 7
    He fell while he (climb) the ladder.
  8. 8
    At 7 a.m., I (do) yoga on the terrace.
  9. 9
    they (wait) for us when the train arrived?
  10. 10
    While I (read) the agreement, my partner (check) the accounts.
Set B

Correct the mistake

0 / 8
  1. 11
    She was cook dinner when I reached.
  2. 12
    We was watching a movie last night at 9.
  3. 13
    While he was slept, someone knocked.
  4. 14
    I was understanding the problem at that time.
  5. 15
    The children was making noise the whole evening.
  6. 16
    When the lights went off, I cooked dinner. (Meaning: dinner was in progress.)
  7. 17
    What was you doing on the roof?
  8. 18
    He was runing when he slipped.
Set C

Translate into English

0 / 7
  1. 19
    मैं खाना खा रहा था जब वह आया।
  2. 20
    वे रात के दस बजे टीवी देख रहे थे।
  3. 21
    जब बारिश शुरू हुई, हम बाज़ार में घूम रहे थे।
  4. 22
    वह पूरे दिन काम कर रही थी।
  5. 23
    तुम उस समय क्या कर रहे थे?
  6. 24
    जब मैं घर पहुँचा, माँ खाना बना रही थीं।
  7. 25
    बच्चे बाहर खेल रहे थे और उनकी माँ कपड़े धो रही थी।
Step 7

Answer Key

Show answersHide answers
Answers · Set A
1
was driving
2
were not (weren’t) paying
3
were ... doing
4
was talking
5
was raining
6
were painting
7
was climbing
8
was doing
9
Were ... waiting
10
was reading ... was checking
Answers · Set B
11
She was cooking dinner when I reached. (-ing needed.)
12
We were watching a movie last night at 9. (We were.)
13
While he was sleeping, someone knocked. (was + sleeping, not ‘slept’.)
14
I understood the problem at that time. (‘Understand’ is stative.)
15
The children were making noise the whole evening. (Children were.)
16
When the lights went off, I was cooking dinner. (In-progress action Continuous.)
17
What were you doing on the roof? (You were.)
18
He was running when he slipped. (Double ‘n’: running.)
Answers · Set C
19
I was eating (food) when he came.
20
They were watching TV at 10 o’clock at night.
21
When the rain started, we were walking around the market. / When it started raining, we were roaming in the market.
22
She was working all day.
23
What were you doing at that time?
24
When I reached home, my mother was cooking (food).
25
The children were playing outside and their mother was washing clothes.

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Next up · Chapter 6Present Perfect

The tense Hindi has no exact match for, and the #1 reason ‘I have seen him yesterday’ keeps happening.