To tell a story in English, you use these two tenses together. The past continuous sets the scene (what was happening); the past simple tells the events (what happened).Para contar uma história em inglês, você usa esses dois tempos juntos. O past continuous monta o cenário (o que estava acontecendo); o past simple conta os fatos (o que aconteceu).
A2 Finished or in progress?
Past Simple
An action finished in the past.Ação concluída no passado.
At 4 p.m. (in the afternoon), I finished work and went home. (Às 16h, terminei o trabalho e fui para casa.)
Past Continuous
An action in progress at a moment in the past.Ação em andamento num momento do passado.
At 4 p.m., I was working in the office. (Às 16h, eu estava trabalhando no escritório.)
The past continuous is was / were + verb-ing. Use was with I, he, she and it, and were with you, we and they.O past continuous é was / were + verbo-ing. Use was com I, he, she e it, e were com you, we e they.
| Form | Past Simple | Past Continuous | Português |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | She watched a film. | She was watching a film. | Ela assistiu / estava assistindo a um filme. |
| Negative | She didn’t watch a film. | She wasn’t watching a film. | Ela não assistiu / não estava assistindo a um filme. |
| Question | Did she watch a film? | Was she watching a film? | Ela assistiu / estava assistindo a um filme? |
A2 Interrupted actions: when
A long action in progress is interrupted by a short one. The long action goes in the past continuous; the short one, usually after when, goes in the past simple.Uma ação longa em andamento é interrompida por uma curta. A ação longa fica no past continuous; a curta, normalmente depois de when, fica no past simple.
- I was reading when the phone rang. (Eu estava lendo quando o telefone tocou.)
- She was taking a test when she heard the fire alarm. (Ela estava fazendo uma prova quando ouviu o alarme de incêndio.)
- I was sitting in the park when I saw an old school friend. (Eu estava sentada no parque quando vi um velho amigo da escola.)
- We were walking home when it started to rain. (Estávamos voltando a pé para casa quando começou a chover.)
A2 Two actions at the same time: while
When two long actions happen at the same time, both can go in the past continuous. While introduces the long action.Quando duas ações longas acontecem ao mesmo tempo, as duas podem ficar no past continuous. While introduz a ação longa.
- While she was driving, her husband was reading the newspaper. (Enquanto ela dirigia, o marido lia o jornal.)
- They were eating and the music was playing. (Eles estavam comendo e a música estava tocando.)
- While I was studying, my sister was watching TV. (Enquanto eu estudava, minha irmã via TV.)
- While my brother was washing the dishes, I was drying them. (Enquanto meu irmão lavava a louça, eu enxugava.)
When or while
while + long action (past continuous): While I was cooking, …while + ação longa (past continuous): While I was cooking, … (Enquanto eu cozinhava, …)
when + short action (past simple): …, when the doorbell rang.when + ação curta (past simple): …, when the doorbell rang. (…, quando a campainha tocou.)
This is the most common combination, but when can also go with the long action: When I was cooking, the doorbell rang.Essa é a combinação mais comum, mas when também pode vir com a ação longa: When I was cooking, the doorbell rang.
A2 Sequence of actions: past simple
When actions happen one after the other, they all go in the past simple.Quando as ações acontecem uma depois da outra, todas ficam no past simple.
- When the phone rang, I answered it. (Quando o telefone tocou, eu atendi. Primeiro tocou, depois atendi.)
- She got up, had a shower and left for work. (Ela se levantou, tomou banho e saiu para o trabalho.)
When he arrived, we had dinner.
He arrived, and after that we had dinner.Ele chegou e depois jantamos.
When he arrived, we had dinner. (Quando ele chegou, jantamos.)
When he arrived, we were having dinner.
He arrived during dinner.Ele chegou durante o jantar.
When he arrived, we were having dinner. (Quando ele chegou, estávamos jantando.)
A2 Setting the scene in stories
- It was a cold night. The wind was blowing and the rain was falling. Suddenly, someone knocked at the door. (Era uma noite fria. O vento soprava e a chuva caía. De repente, alguém bateu à porta.)
- The sun was shining and people were swimming. Then a shark appeared. (O sol brilhava e as pessoas nadavam. Então apareceu um tubarão.)
In a story
The continuous describes the background (the wind blowing, the rain falling). The simple highlights the event that changes the story (someone knocked at the door).O continuous descreve o “pano de fundo” (o vento soprando, a chuva caindo). O simple destaca o fato que muda a história (alguém bateu à porta).
Stative verbs
Most state verbs (know, like, want, believe…) are not normally used in the continuous, not even in the past: ✓ I knew the answer. ✗ I was knowing the answer.A maioria dos verbos de estado (know, like, want, believe…) normalmente não vai para o continuous, nem no passado: ✓ I knew the answer. (Eu sabia a resposta.) ✗ I was knowing the answer.
Common mistakes
Avoid these
✗ I was read when the phone rang. ✓ I was reading when the phone rang.O past continuous é was / were + -ing.
✗ While I cooked, the doorbell was ringing. ✓ While I was cooking, the doorbell rang.A ação longa vai no continuous; a curta, no simple.
✗ They was playing football. ✓ They were playing football.Com they, we e you, use were.
✗ I was knowing the answer. ✓ I knew the answer.Know é verbo de estado: não vai para o continuous.
✗ When the phone rang, I was answering it. ✓ When the phone rang, I answered it.Ações em sequência ficam no past simple.
✗ When I was a child, I was playing football every day. ✓ When I was a child, I played football every day.Para hábitos do passado (“eu jogava”), use o past simple ou used to, não o past continuous.
Quick summary
| Use | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| finished action | I finished work at 4. | Terminei o trabalho às 4. |
| action in progress | At 4, I was working. | Às 4, eu estava trabalhando. |
| interrupted action | I was reading when he called. | Eu estava lendo quando ele ligou. |
| two actions at the same time | While I was cooking, he was singing. | Enquanto eu cozinhava, ele cantava. |
| sequence of actions | The phone rang and I answered it. | O telefone tocou e eu atendi. |
| setting the scene | It was raining. Then the lights went out. | Estava chovendo. Então a luz acabou. |
Practice time
Quiz