Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense talks about actions that were happening in the past for some time. Like, “Sachin was writing a letter to his friend.” In this sentence, ‘was writing’ shows an action Sam was doing in the past.

Also Check: Simple Present Tense

The past continuous tense, which is also called the past progressive tense, talks about actions that were happening in the past, like “I was writing my research paper all night.” It’s made using the past tense of the verb “to be” along with the main verb.

What makes the past continuous tense different from the past perfect continuous tense or the simple past tense? Let’s explore the past continuous tense together. We’ll learn its rules, how it’s used, and see lots of examples to understand it better.

Also Check: Present Continuous Tense

What Is Past Continuous Tense?

The past continuous tense talks about things that were happening at a specific time in the past. For instance, “Sam was writing a letter to his friend.” In this sentence, ‘was writing’ shows what Sam was doing in the past.

Also Check: Simple Past Tense

Examples Past Continuous Tense

• It was raining yesterday.
• They were eating at the restaurant.
• You were working yesterday.
• I was on tour last night.
• I was waiting for the train when I met Raj.
• The children were laughing when the teacher came in.
• It was mid-day when it was raining.
• Everyone was laughing.
• Karan was practising the guitar after classes.
• The baby was crying when I came into the room.
• The children were running in the garden.
• The girls were dancing as the music played.
• The child was eating an mango.
• Trina was going to the classroom.
• The dog was barking at afternoon.
• The students were not studying for the test.
• They were going to play cricket.
• My mother was cooking a food for me.
• The birds were chirping in the sky.
• The kite was flying in the sky.

Also Check: Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Forming the Past Continuous

The past continuous tense is made of two things: the past form of “to be” (was/were) and the base of the main verb with “ing” added.

Past Continuous Tense FAQs

What is past continuous tense and examples?

Past continuous tense shows actions that were ongoing or happening in the past. It's formed with was or were + verb-ing. Example: She was singing at 7 PM yesterday.

What is the formula for past continuous tense?

The formula for past continuous tense is simple: was or were + verb-ing. For instance, I was eating or They were playing.

What is past continuous examples with time?

An example of past continuous with a time frame is: At 9 AM yesterday, they were studying for their exam.

What is the past continuous tense of go?

The past continuous tense of go is was/were going. For instance, I was going to the store when it started raining.