What was happening when …? Past continuous
We use the past continuous to say what was happening at a moment in the past: At eight o’clock I was eating breakfast. We make it with was or were + a verb with -ing. I was eating. They were walking. Negative: She wasn’t sleeping. Questions: What were you doing? Was he reading? We often use it together with the past simple and when. A longer action was in progress, and a short action interrupted it: I was walking to school when it started to rain. The longer action is in the past continuous and the shorter action is in the past simple. Notice that the past simple is for a short, finished action: started, heard, opened.
| Longer action (was / were + -ing) | Short action (past simple) |
|---|---|
| I was walking to school | when it started to rain. |
| Omar was reading | when the lights went out. |
| We were playing football | when the bell rang. |
| The farmers were working | when the storm came. |
What were you doing at eight o’clock?
I was waiting for the bus.
Why are you late?
The bus broke down while we were driving, so I walked.
I was walking to school when it started to rain. Omar was reading when the lights went out. They weren’t playing when the bell rang. What were you doing?
What were you doing? The grown-up asks: What were you doing at seven o’clock? Yesterday afternoon? When the phone rang? The child answers with the past continuous. Then the child invents three interrupted actions with when: I was cooking when ... Change places.