Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

We've already seen these two tenses in class and I reminded you that it's similar to Spanish tenses but we have more tenses in our language. Compare these sentences:

• Llovía cuando llegué a casa: It was raining when I got home
• Estaba lloviendo cuando llegué a casa: It was raining when I got home
• Llovió mucho ayer: It rained a lot yesterday
• Estuvo lloviendo todo el día: It was raining the whole day

If you see the grammar section it's said that it's quite usual to find simple past and past continuous together, especially when you use when or while:

• She was working at the office when I phoned her
• While I was watching TV, Susan phoned

However, sometimes you can use it in a different way:

• While I was cleaning my husband was making dinner

Remember we use past continuous to make the action sound more interesting, more lively.

If you want to practise, use these links with exercises:

• exercise 1, exercise 2, exercise 3: with a long explanation and exercises at the end
• a video with an explanation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mG6wOcof44

Past simple versus past continuous

These two verbs are very similar to the ones in present but they are more connected, especially when you use when or while. The only thing you should keep in mind is that there are 2 simple past forms in Spanish but only one in English so in some context you use both past continuous or past simple. Have a look at these examples and the possible translation:

• While she was having a coffee she saw the car crash  ( Mientras se tomaba un café...)
• She had a coffee with Peter  ( Se tomó un café...)
• She had coffee with Peter every week (Se tomaba un café con Pedro todas las semanas)

Here you have a couple of links with an explanation and an exercises at the end. Click here or here

If you want to practise some more here you have more exercises:

• exercise 1      exercise 2