Μάθημα : ΑΓΓΛΙΚΑ Β' ΓΥΜΝΑΣΙΟΥ

The past continuous: Form

The past continuous: Use

Actions in progress

We use the past continuous to talk about actions that were in progress (not finished) at a specific moment in the past.

• ‘What were you doing at 9?’ ‘I was studying.’
• When I saw them yesterday, they were arguing.

The specific moment in the past can be described by a time expression (at 9 a.m., at midday, at lunchtime, all morning, all day, etc.):

• They were swimming at 7 in the morning.
• At midday, they were still working.

Or by a simple past sentence:

• They were swimming when I saw them.
• When she arrived, they were still working.

Describing a scene

We often use the past continuous at the beginning of a story to describe the situation.

• It was getting dark, and I was walking fast. Suddenly …

Past Simple vs Past Continuous

We use the past simple for completed actions in the past, and we use the past continuous for actions in progress (not finished) in the past.

• We ate out yesterday. (the action is finished)
• We were eating at 9. (the action was not finished)

The past continuous describes a longer action or situation, and the past simple describes a shorter action or event.

• When I met Susan, she was having a drink at a terrace with a friend. 
• We didn’t go out because it was raining. 

The short action in past simple often interrupts the longer action in past continuous.

• He was playing football when he broke his arm. 
• When I went to bed, it was raining. 

We use the past simple for completed actions that happened one after the other. Compare:

• When he arrived, she was having a shower. (The action of having a shower started before he arrived)
• When he arrived, she had a shower. (The action of having a shower started after he arrived)

Used to, didn’t use to: Grammar chart

Used to

Past habits

We use used to to talk about past habits or things that happened repeatedly in the past but don’t happen any more.

• I used to play chess every day, but now I don’t play very often.
• When the economy was better, we used to eat out every week.

Past states

We use used to with non-action verbs (be, have, etc.) for past states: things that were true in the past but are not true any more.

• She used to be very shy when she was a child.
• I used to like her music, but now I hate it.

Didn’t use to, did you use to?

We use did/didn’t + use to for negatives and questions.

• He didn’t use to travel a lot.
• ‘Did he use to live here?’ ‘Yes, he did.’

We can also use never for negatives

• We never used to argue.

Past simple vs used to

Past simple + always, usually, often, etc.

We can also use the past simple tense + frequency adverbs for past habits.

• I always met her at the bar down the street. (= I used to meet …)
• I usually had a big salad for dinner. (= I used to have …)

Past simple (NOT used to)

But we use the past simple (NOT used to) for actions that happened once or when we mention when they happened.

• Last week, I used to meet her at the bar down the street. 
• Last week, I met her at the bar down the street. 
• I used to have a big salad for dinner last Sunday. 
• I had a big salad for dinner last Sunday. 

Usually or used to?

Used to is only used in the past. To talk about present habits, we should use the present simple tense with usually or normally.

• I use get up very early at weekends. 
• I usually get up very early at weekends. 
• We don’t use to play on Sunday. 
• We don’t usually play on Sunday.