Past continuous – Grammar
1. Form
Le past continuous se forme avec was / were + verbe en -ing.
Affirmative
| Sujet | was / were | Verbe -ing | Exemple |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / he / she / it | was | working | She was working. |
| You / we / they | were | eating | They were eating. |
Negative
| Sujet | was/were + not | Verbe -ing | Exemple |
|---|---|---|---|
| I wasn’t | sleeping | I wasn’t sleeping. | |
| They weren’t | listening | They weren’t listening. |
Interrogative
| Forme | Exemple |
|---|---|
| Was he / she / it + V-ing ? | Was he running ? |
| Were you / we / they + V-ing ? | Were you watching TV ? |
2. Spelling rules – Verbe + -ing
| Cas | Règle | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| Verbe en -e | Supprimer -e + ing | write → writing |
| CVC (consonne-voyelle-consonne) | Doubler la consonne + ing | run → running |
| Verbe en -ie | -ie → -y + ing | die → dying |
3. Use
Action en cours dans le passé
At 8pm, I was watching a film.
Action interrompue par une autre (souvent avec past simple)
She was cooking when the phone rang.
Deux actions longues simultanées
While I was reading, he was sleeping.
Situation temporaire dans le passé
They were living in Spain for a few months.
4. Time expressions courantes
- While, as, when
- At that moment, all day yesterday, at 5 pm, this time last week…
5. Remarques
- While est souvent suivi du past continuous, when du past simple : While we were walking, it started to rain.
I was sleeping when he called. - Ne pas utiliser avec les stative verbs (want, know, like…) → préférer le past simple : I was knowing the answer.
I knew the answer.