Past Simple and Past Continous — teorija. Jaunās tēmas (izstrāde), I. Kezina.

Read and learn about past simple and past continuous!

First, revise present simple, past simple, and present continuous from 4th - 6th grade!

Past simple is a verb tense used to describe actions that happened and were completed at a specific time in the past. It often answers the question "What happened?"

For example:

I walked to the store yesterday.
She studied English last year.

Past continuous is a verb tense used to describe actions that were in progress at a particular time in the past, often interrupted by another action. It often answers the question "What was happening?"

For example:

Yesterday at 10 a.m. I was walking to the store.
She was studying when I called her.

Past continuous can also be used to describe actions that were happening at the same time in the past.

For example:

I was cooking dinner while my friend was setting the table.
They were playing football when I arrived at the park.

Past continuous can also describe actions that were happening repeatedly over a period of time in the past.

For example:

When I was a child, I was playing outside every day.
He was always talking during the meetings last year.

Svarīgi!

The past simple describes a finished action in the past, but the past continuous describes an action that was in progress at a certain point in the past.

For example:

I watched a movie last night. (finished action)
I was watching a movie when the phone rang. (an action still in progress in the past)

Past simple structure:

Subject + verb (regular +ed/ irregular - 2nd form)

For example:

He visited his grandmother.
We went to Paris.

Past continuous structure:

Subject + was/were + verb (ing)

For example:

She was reading a book.
They were playing football.

Svarīgi!

Past simple is often used with past continuous to show that one action interrupted another.