Past continuous
We use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.
We can use it to talk about a specific point in time.
We use the past continuous to talk about past events which went on for a period of time.
We use it when we
want to emphasize the continuing process of an activity or the period
of that activity. (If we just want to talk about the past event as a
simple fact, we use the past simple.)
- While I was driving home, Peter was trying desperately to contact me. / Mientras estaba conduciendo, Peter estaba intentando contactarme desesperadamente.
- Were you expecting any visitors? / ¿Estabas esperando algunas visitas?
- Sorry, were you sleeping? / Perdona, ¿Estabas durmiendo?
- I was just making some coffee. / Estaba haciendo algo de cafe.
- I was thinking about him last night. / Estaba pensando en él anoche.
- In the 1990s few people were using mobile phones. / En los noventa poca gente estaba usando móbiles.
We often use it to describe a "background action" when something else happened.
- I was walking in the street when I suddenly fell over. / Estaba caminando en la calle cuando de repente me caí.
- She was talking to me on the phone and it suddenly went dead. / Estaba hablando conmigo por el telefono y derrepente se apago.
- They were still waiting for the plane when I spoke to them. / Ellos estaban esperando todavía el avión cuando hablé con ellos.
- We were just talking about it before you arrived. / Estabamos justo hablando sobre ello cuando llegaste.
- I was making a presentation in front of 500 people when the microphone stopped working. / Estaba dando un presentación delante de 500 personas cuando el microfono dejó de funcionar.
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