Past Continuous Tense

CEFR: A2 ⏱ 10 min grammar

# Past Continuous Tense

What is the Past Continuous Tense?

The Past Continuous Tense is used for actions that were happening at a specific time in the past.

বাংলা:
Past Continuous Tense অতীতে কোনো নির্দিষ্ট সময়ে চলমান কাজ বোঝাতে ব্যবহৃত হয়।

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Learning Outcomes

• Understand when to use the Past Continuous
• Form sentences with was/were + verb-ing
• Talk about actions in progress at a past time

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Formula

Positive

Subject + was/were + Verb-ing
Example: She was reading a book.

Negative

Subject + was/were + not + Verb-ing
Example: They were not playing football.

Question

Was/Were + Subject + Verb-ing?
Example: Were you watching TV?

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When Do We Use It?

• ✅ Actions in progress at a specific past time (e.g., I was sleeping at 10 pm.)
• ✅ Background actions interrupted by another event (e.g., I was reading when the phone rang.)
• ✅ Two simultaneous actions (e.g., She was cooking while he was watching TV.)

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💡 Remember

Use was for I/He/She/It, and were for You/We/They.
Always use verb-ing.

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Try It Yourself

1. She (read) a book at 8 pm.
2. They (not/sleep) when I called.
3. We (eat) dinner when he arrived.

Show Answers

1. She was reading a book at 8 pm. 2. They were not sleeping when I called. 3. We were eating dinner when he arrived.

🔍 Comparison Table

Tense	Usage	Example
Past Continuous	Action in progress at a specific time in the past	I was reading at 8 pm.
Past Simple	Completed action at a specific time in the past	I read a book yesterday.

📌 Signal Words

• at that time
• while
• when
• as
• at 8 pm
• yesterday at 5 o'clock

🔊 Listen to Examples

• She was reading a book at 8 pm. 🔊
• They were playing football when it started to rain. 🔊
• I was cooking dinner while he was watching TV. 🔊

🗣️ Speaking Practice

Say these sentences aloud:

1. I was sleeping at 10 pm.
2. She was cooking when the phone rang.
3. They were not listening to the teacher.
4. Were you watching TV at 8 pm?
5. He was reading a newspaper while I was writing.

🧪 Quiz

1. Which is the correct sentence?

She was reading a book.
She were reading a book.
She was read a book.

2. Choose the correct negative form.

They were not playing.
They was not playing.
They not were playing.

3. Fill in the blank: She _____ (read) a book at 8 pm.

4. Correct the sentence: I were sleeping when he called.

5. Translate to English: সে রাত ১০টায় ঘুমাচ্ছিল।

Check Answers

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

🔗 Related Lessons

• Past Simple Tense
• Present Continuous Tense
• Past Perfect Tense
• Was vs Were

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