Introduzione
Il past continuous (detto anche past progressive) descrive un'azione che era in corso in un momento specifico del passato (in progress at a specific moment in the past). Si usa spesso insieme al past simple per indicare che un'azione è stata interrotta da un'altra.
Soggetto+was/were+verbo-ing
- At 8pm, I was watching TV.
- Dad was cooking when I got home.
- We were walking in the park all afternoon.
| Soggetto | Forma |
|---|---|
| I / He / She / It | was + verbo-ing |
| You / We / They | were + verb-ing |
Usi del past continuous
| Uso | Esempio |
|---|---|
| Azione in corso in un momento passato | At midnight, they were still working. |
| Azione di sfondo interrotta | I was sleeping when the alarm went off. |
| Due azioni passate parallele | She was reading while he was cooking. |
| Descrivere lo sfondo di una storia | It was raining. The streets were glistening. |
| Richiesta cortese/esitante al passato | I was wondering if you could help me. |
Past continuous con when e while
When introduce l'azione più breve e conclusa (past simple). While introduce l'azione più lunga e in corso (past continuous).
While+past continuous, past simple (interruzione)
Past continuous+when+past simple (interruzione)
- While I was studying, my phone rang.
- I was studying when my phone rang.
- While they were arguing, the baby fell asleep.
Esercizi
At 8pm, I ___ TV.
___ I was studying, my phone rang.
Which sentence sets the scene using past continuous?
I was studying ___ my phone rang.
She ___ dinner when I arrived.
At midnight, they ___ still working.
I ___ wondering if you could help me.
Which sentence shows two parallel past actions?
It ___ raining. The streets were glistening.
They ___ arguing when the baby fell asleep.
While they were arguing, the baby ___ asleep.
Which sentence uses past continuous for a background action interrupted by another event?
'When he arrived, I left.' What does this sequence mean?
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