Past continuous
ያለፈ ቀጣይ ጊዜ (past continuous)
I was working. For an action in progress at a moment in the past, often interrupted by a shorter action in the past simple.
The form
was / were + verb-ing. was with I, he, she, it; were with you, we, they. It is like Amharic እየሠራሁ ነበር: I was working.
In Amharic
was / were + ግሥ-ing። was ከ I, he, she, it ጋር፤ were ከ you, we, they ጋር። ከአማርኛው "እየሠራሁ ነበር" ጋር ይመሳሰላል፦ I was working።
| I / he / she / it | you / we / they | |
|---|---|---|
| + | I was sleeping. | They were sleeping. |
| − | She wasn't sleeping. | We weren't sleeping. |
| ? | Was he sleeping? | Were you sleeping? |
| short answers | Yes, he was. / No, he wasn't. | Yes, we were. / No, we weren't. |
- Signal words: while, when, at 8 o'clock last night, all evening, at that moment.
- At ten last night I was watching the news.
- We were living in Virginia when my son was born.
- Were you driving when the police stopped you?
- She wasn't listening, so she missed the instructions.
When to use it
On a timeline, the past continuous is a long stretch in the past; the past simple is a short point that cuts into it. I was cooking (long) when the phone rang (short). Use while before the long action and when before the short one: While I was cooking, the phone rang. Two long actions at the same time: While I was cooking, my husband was helping the kids with homework. It also sets the background of a story: The sun was shining and people were walking on the Strip.
In Amharic
በጊዜ መስመር ላይ ያለፈ ቀጣይ በያለፈው ውስጥ ረጅም ክፍል ነው፤ ያለፈ ቀላል ደግሞ ወደ ውስጡ የሚቆርጥ አጭር ነጥብ ነው። I was cooking (ረጅም) when the phone rang (አጭር)። while ከረጅሙ ድርጊት በፊት፣ when ከአጭሩ በፊት ይጠቀሙ፦ While I was cooking, the phone rang። በአንድ ጊዜ የሆኑ ሁለት ረጅም ድርጊቶች፦ While I was cooking, my husband was helping the kids with homework። የታሪክንም ዳራ ያስቀምጣል፦ The sun was shining and people were walking on the Strip።
- State verbs do not take the continuous: I knew him (not I was knowing him).
- I was waiting for the bus when it started to rain.
- While she was working, someone stole her car.
- The baby was sleeping, so we were talking quietly.
- What were you doing at 3 o'clock yesterday? — I was picking up the kids.
Past continuous or past simple?
The past simple shows a complete, finished action; the past continuous shows an action in the middle, not complete. Compare: When I arrived, they had dinner (they started eating after I arrived) / When I arrived, they were having dinner (they were in the middle of dinner). For a sequence of actions one after another, use the past simple: I got home, took a shower and went to bed.
In Amharic
ያለፈ ቀላል ሙሉ፣ የተጠናቀቀ ድርጊትን ያሳያል፤ ያለፈ ቀጣይ በመሐል ላይ ያለ፣ ያልተጠናቀቀ ድርጊትን ያሳያል። ያወዳድሩ፦ When I arrived, they had dinner (እኔ ከደረስኩ በኋላ መብላት ጀመሩ) / When I arrived, they were having dinner (በእራት መሐል ላይ ነበሩ)። አንዱ ከሌላው በኋላ ለሚከተሉ ድርጊቶች ያለፈ ቀላልን ይጠቀሙ፦ I got home, took a shower and went to bed።
| Past continuous (in progress) | Past simple (complete) |
|---|---|
| I was reading the letter when he came in. | I read the letter and then I called him. |
| It was snowing when we left Denver. | It snowed a lot last winter. |
- when + past simple can mean 'then': When the alarm rang, I got up.
- I was walking home when I saw an accident.
- When I saw the accident, I called 911.
- He fell while he was climbing the ladder.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I was cooking when you called. | was/were + verb-ing. | |
| They were working late. | they takes were. | |
| While I was cooking, the phone rang. | The long action is continuous; the short interruption is past simple. | |
| I knew the answer. | know is a state verb. | |
| When I arrived, the store was closing. | arriving is a short action: past simple. |
Practice
Each answer is checked as you go, with the reason. Nothing here is saved.
I ___ TV when the power went out.
They ___ (sleep) when I got home. (two words)
___ I was driving, my phone rang.
She was walking to work when she ___ her old friend.
What ___ you doing at 9 last night? (one word)
Which is correct?
I ___ (not / listen), so I missed the address. (short form)
When we arrived, they ___ dinner, so we joined them.
I got home, ___ a shower and went to bed.
Were the kids playing outside? — Yes, they ___.