Past Continuous — Pasado Continuo
| Subject | Was/Were | Verb-ing | Example |
|---|
| I / He / She / It | was | working | I was working at 9 PM. |
| You / We / They | were | studying | They were studying all night. |
Negative & Questions
- Neg: I wasn't working. / They weren't studying.
- Q: Was she working? / Were they studying?
- Short: Yes, I was. / No, they weren't.
Uses
- Action in progress at a specific past time:
- At 8 PM, I was watching TV.
- Two simultaneous actions (while):
- While she was cooking, he was reading.
- Background action interrupted (when + Past Simple):
- I was walking home when it started to rain.
- She was sleeping when the phone rang.
When vs. While
| Conjunction | Use | Example |
|---|
| when | + Past Simple (short action) | I was eating when he arrived. |
| while | + Past Continuous (long action) | While I was eating, he arrived. |
💡 when → corta y puntual / while → larga y continua