Simple Past – Past Progressive

Form
Simple Past Past Progressive
past form of 'be' + ing form of verb
irregular verbs: see 2nd column of irregular verbs

I spoke
I was speaking
you were speaking
regular verbs: verb + ed
he / she / it was speaking
we were speaking
I worked
they were speaking
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 'ed' : Exceptions when adding 'ing' :

 when the final letter is e, only add d.  silent e is dropped (but: does not apply for -
ee)
Example: love - loved
Example: come - coming
 after a short, stressed vowel, the final but: agree - agreeing
consonant is doubled
 after a short, stressed vowel, the final
Example: admit - admitted consonant is doubled

 final l is always doubled in British English Example: sit - sitting

(not in American English)
 final l is always doubled in British English
Example: travel - travelled (not in American English)

 after a consonant, final y becomes i. (but: Example: travel - travelling

not after a vowel)
 final ie becomes y.
Example: worry - he worried
but: play - he played Example: lie - lying

See also explanations on Simple Past and Past Progressive

Use
After another or at the same time?

Do you want to express that the actions in the past happened one after another or at the
same time?

Simple Past Past Progressive

after another at the same time
She came home, switched on the computer and Simon was playing on the computer while his
checked her e-mails. brother was watching TV.

New action or already in progress?

If you want to express that a new action happened in the middle of another action, you
need both tenses: Simple Past the new action and Past Progressive for the action already
in progress.

Simple Past Past Progressive

action already in progress
new action
While I was sitting in a meeting, (my mobile
My mobile rang (while I was sitting in a meeting.)
suddenly rang.)

Only mentioning or emphasising progress?

Do you just want to mention that an action took place in the past (also used for short
actions)? Or do you want to put emphasis on the progress, e.g. that an action was taking
place at a certain time?

Simple Past Past Progressive

emphasising progress
just mentioning
Yesterday at six o'clock, Colin was playing
Colin played football yesterday.
football.

Certain Verbs

The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Past (not in the progressive form).

 state: be, cost, fit, mean, suit

Example: We were on holiday.

 possession: belong, have

Example: Sam had a cat.

 senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch

Example: He felt the cold.

 feelings: hate, hope, like, love, prefer, regret, want, wish

Example: Jane loved pizza.

 brain work: believe, know, think, understand

 Example: I did not understand him.

 introductory clauses for direct speech: answer, ask, reply, say

Example: “I am watching TV,“ he said.

Signal words

Simple Past Past Progressive

 first
 while
 then
 as long as
 If-Satz Typ II (If I talked, …)

Simple Past vs. Past Progressive Tense

Remember- the simple past talks about something that happened

before. It happened and it finished. Some words are regular and just
have -ed added at the end like walked, helped, and played. Others
are irregular and have many variations like ate, began, and slept.

The past progressive talks about something that was happening

before, but for a period of time. It uses was or were + verb-ing like
was eating or were playing. It gives a background for something that
was happening while a different event happened.

Example: While I was eating, the telephone rang.

So, during the time I was eating (let's say from 6:30-7:00 p.m.)
somebody called my house (let's say they called at 6:49p.m.) One
thing happened (simple past) during the period of time another thing
was happening (past progressive.)

Here is another example: They saw an old man as they were walking
down the street.

You can think of walking as a video. You see the movement. You see
the time passing. Think of saw as a photo. It is one point of time. You
don't think of the time passing.

I dreamed in English when I was sleeping.

She was listening to the radio when the mail came.
They visited Sydney when they were traveling in Australia.
Questions and Answers

Use the simple past or present progressive tense. Check your

answers by clicking on the arrows.

1. I dropped a cup while I (wash) the dishes.

2. Jon and Bill were washing the car when they (see) their
friend Alex.

3. Tony came to see me while I (do) my homework.

4. The children (play) when their father came home.

5. When Inga was driving, she (notice) an animal in the

road.

6. Annie (call) when Kerry was studying.

7. While the movie was playing, Tomoko (eat) popcorn.

Past Continuous and Past Simple

1 0 0 6

Read about the past continuous and past simple tenses and then do the exercise.

1. The most common use of the past continuous tense is to talk about something that
was happening around a particular time in the past.

What were you doing at 8 o’clock last night? I was watching television.

I started watching television before 8 o’clock and I continued watching it after 8

o’clock.

In 1994 he was working in a small town in Poland.

At 6 o’clock on Saturday morning we were travelling to the airport.

2. We often use the past continuous and the past simple tense together. When this
happens, the past continuous describes a longer, ‘background’ action or situation and
the past simple describes the action or events.
When I woke up this morning it was raining and my father was singing in the kitchen.

I was walking home, whistling happily, when I saw two masked men run out of the bank.

Often, the ‘action’ described by the past simple tense interrupts the ‘situation’
described by the past continuous tense.

I broke my leg when I was skiing.

I was playing a computer game when the doorbell rang.

Notice that the past continuous describes ‘situations’ that go on for some time –
‘skiing’ and ‘playing’ but the past simple describes ‘actions’ that happen quickly –
‘broke’ and ‘rang’.

Notice too the important difference between these two sentences.

When they arrived, Jeff was cooking dinner. Jeff started cooking before they arrived.

When they arrived, Jeff cooked dinner. Jeff started cooking dinner after they arrived.

Etiquetas

Verb: Tenses Aspects Moods ›Grammar: past progressive

Verb: Tenses Aspects Moods ›Grammar: past simple
Elementary: A2

 Versión para impresora

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Simple Past – Past Progressive –

contrasted
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Differences and similarities in the Simple Present and

the Present Progressive
1. Use

Simple Past Past Progressive

 action finished in the past  action was in progress at a special time in the
(single or repeated) past
 series of completed actions  two actions were happening at the same time
in the past (the actions do not influence each other)

2. Form

Simple Past Past Progressive

 regular verbs: infinitive + -ed

 irregular verbs: 2nd column of the table of the irregular (was or were) + infinitive + -
verbs ing

3. Examples
3.1. Affirmative sentences
Simple Past Past Progressive

I played football. He was playing football.

You played football. You were playing football.

He played football. He was playing football.

3.2. Negative sentences

Simple Past Past Progressive

I did not play football. He was not playing football.

You did not play football. You were not playing football.

He did not play football. He was not playing football.

3.3. Questions
Simple Past Past Progressive

Did I play football? Was I playing football?

Did you play football? Were you playing football?

Did he play football? Was he playing football?

4. Spelling
Simple Past Past Progressive

 stopped (Double the consonant after a

short vowel.)  sitting (Double the consonant after a
 loved (one -e at the end of the word → short vowel.)
Add only -d.)  writing (Drop the -e.)
 worried (consonant before -y →  lying (Change -ie to -y.)
Change to -i.)

5. Use
Both tenses are often used in one sentence:

While we were sitting at the breakfast table, the telephone rang.

We were sitting at the breakfast table when the telephone rang.

 Past Progressive → we were sitting at the table

 Simple Past → the telephone rang.
The action in the Simple Past (pink) interrupts the action in the Past Progressive
(blue).