Past Simple
or Continuous?
I was cooking when the phone rang — choose the right past tense, then practise.
Show rules
Completed or unfinished?
| use | example | |
|---|---|---|
| past simple | single or repeated completed action | We arrived at three. · He went on many trips to Africa. |
| past continuous | unfinished action at or around a time | When we arrived, the maid was cleaning our room. · He was searching for the source of the river. |
Interrupted past — continuous + simple
Use past continuous for the longer ongoing action and past simple for the shorter event that interrupts it.
While he was searching for the source of the Nile, he disappeared.
I was running downstairs when I tripped.
If both verbs are past simple, it usually means a sequence:
✓ When Isabel joined us, we watched a DVD. (Isabel came, then we watched.)
✓ When Isabel joined us, we were watching a DVD. (Already watching when she arrived.)
when, while and as
Both when and while mean during the time. As can also be used in the same way.
- when can come before either the ongoing action (past continuous) or the short event (past simple).
- while / as are followed by the unfinished action (past continuous) — not a completed one.
✅ The post came when I was having breakfast.
✅ While / As I was having breakfast, the post came.
❌ While the post came, I was having breakfast.
State verbs
State verbs (know, like, want, believe, understand, see, hear, agree) are normally not used in the continuous, even at a past moment:
✅ I knew what to do. — ❌ I was knowing what to do.
✅ She agreed with me. — ❌ She was agreeing with me.
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ |
|---|---|
| While the rain started, I was walking home. | When the rain started, I was walking home. |
| When I got to the station, the train left. (missed it) | When I got to the station, the train was leaving. (still in motion) |
| I was knowing the answer. | I knew the answer. |
| He looked at his phone while I was talking to him. | He was looking at his phone while I was talking to him. |
Frequently Asked Questions
When do you use past simple and when past continuous?
Past simple describes a completed action: 'We arrived at three.' Past continuous describes an unfinished action at or around a past time: 'When we arrived, the maid was cleaning our room.' The two often appear together: past continuous sets the scene or the longer ongoing action; past simple gives the shorter, completed event that interrupts it.
What's the difference between 'when' and 'while'?
Both mean 'during the time'. 'When' can introduce either the short completed event ('when the rain started') or the ongoing action ('when I was walking home'). 'While' (and 'as') are only used before the ongoing/past continuous action — never before a completed past simple event.
Why is 'When Isabel arrived, we watched a DVD' different from 'we were watching a DVD'?
Two past simple verbs ('arrived', 'watched') usually show a sequence: Isabel came, then we watched. Past simple + past continuous ('arrived', 'were watching') shows interruption or background: we were already watching the DVD when Isabel arrived.
Why is 'I was knowing the answer' wrong?
'Know' is a state verb. State verbs (know, like, want, believe, understand, see, hear, agree, seem) are normally not used in continuous forms, even at a past moment. Use past simple: 'I knew the answer.'