Le passé continu (past continuous - passé progressif) en anglais - Préparation TOEIC®
❓ The terms "preterite continuous" and "past continuous" mean the same thing in English.
1. Formation of the past continuous (or preterite continuous)
| Affirmative sentences | Negative sentences | Interrogative sentences |
|---|---|---|
| I was reading | I was not (wasn’t) reading | Was I reading? |
| You were reading | You were not (weren’t) reading | Were you reading? |
| He/She/It was reading | He/She/It was not (wasn’t) reading | Was he/she/it reading? |
| We were reading | We were not (weren’t) reading | Were we reading? |
| You were reading | You were not (weren’t) reading | Were you reading? |
| They were reading | They were not (weren’t) reading | Were they reading? |
- For affirmative sentences, use the form subject + was/were + -ing.
- For negative sentences, use the form subject + was/were + not + -ing.
- For interrogative sentences, use the form was/were + subject + -ing + ?.
Common mistakes
- Using "were" for the third person singular:
- Incorrect: We were reading a book.
- Correct: We was reading a book.
2. When to use the past continuous (or preterite continuous)?
2.1. Ongoing actions in the past
Generally speaking, the past continuous is used to talk about actions that were happening at a specific moment in the past.
- Yesterday at 8 PM, I was watching a film.
2.2. Interrupted actions in the past
In line with the previous point, the past continuous is used to talk about ongoing actions that were interrupted in the past.
- Yesterday at 8 PM, I was watching a movie when my friend called me.
Time markers associated with the past continuous
Expressions like "while", "when", "at that moment" are commonly used with the past continuous to indicate when or for how long an action took place.
- While she was waiting for the bus, she met an old friend.
- Josephine was writing on the whiteboard when her phone rang.
- At that moment, Josephine was writing on the whiteboard.
🎯 Tips: if in a TOEIC® sentence you see one of these time markers followed by the simple past (she met, rang, ...), you can be almost sure that the tense used is the past continuous!
Here is the more generic form:
- While *+ past continuous***,** past simple
- Past continuous, when past simple
- At that moment, past continuous
Conclusion
In the TOEIC® exam, you will find at least a few questions that will require a mastery of the past continuous. It is important to remember that it is formed using was / were + ing, and it is used to talk about an ongoing action in the past.
If you wish to read other lessons on the TOEIC®, we recommend these articles: