Category: Verb Forms & Tenses

Past Continuous

Learn the Past Continuous tense for ongoing actions in the past.

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Past Continuous Tense

The Past Continuous (also called Past Progressive) is used for actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past. In Hindi, this is like "रहा था/रही थी".

Structure

Positive: Subject + was/were + Verb-ing

Negative: Subject + was/were + not + Verb-ing

Question: Was/Were + Subject + Verb-ing?

Was vs Were:

was → I, he, she, it
were → you, we, they

Conjugation Table

Subject	Positive	Negative	Question
I	I was working	I wasn't working	Was I working?
You	You were working	You weren't working	Were you working?
He/She/It	She was working	She wasn't working	Was she working?
We	We were working	We weren't working	Were we working?
They	They were working	They weren't working	Were they working?

When to Use Past Continuous

1. Action in Progress at a Specific Time

At 8 PM yesterday, I was watching TV. (कल रात 8 बजे, मैं टीवी देख रहा था।)
This time last year, she was living in London. (पिछले साल इस समय, वह लंदन में रह रही थी।)

2. Interrupted Action (when + Past Simple)

I was sleeping when the phone rang. (मैं सो रहा था जब फोन बजा।)
She was cooking when the guests arrived. (वह खाना बना रही थी जब मेहमान आए।)

3. Two Actions Happening at the Same Time

While I was reading, she was watching TV. (जब मैं पढ़ रहा था, वह टीवी देख रही थी।)
The children were playing while their parents were talking. (बच्चे खेल रहे थे जबकि उनके माता-पिता बात कर रहे थे।)

4. Setting the Scene (in stories)

The sun was shining and the birds were singing. (सूरज चमक रहा था और पक्षी गा रहे थे।)
It was raining heavily that night. (उस रात भारी बारिश हो रही थी।)

Time Words Used with Past Continuous

while - जबकि (While I was eating...)
when - जब (When he called...)
at that time - उस समय
at 8 PM yesterday - कल रात 8 बजे
all day/night - पूरे दिन/रात
this time last year - पिछले साल इस समय

Past Simple vs Past Continuous

Past Simple	Past Continuous
Completed action	Action in progress
I ate dinner.	I was eating dinner.
The phone rang.	I was sleeping when...

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