Por Vahid Alaghehband
El past continuous (was/were + verbo con -ing) describe una acción que estaba en progreso en un momento del pasado: At 8 p.m. I was cooking. Se usa sobre todo para dar el contexto de una historia y junto al past simple, cuando algo interrumpe esa acción: I was cooking when you called.
Esta guía forma parte de la gramática inglesa por nivel. El past continuous corresponde al nivel A2 del MCER (subnivel A2.2 en el catálogo de Vozi Grammar). Equivale a "estaba + gerundio" del español (estaba cocinando), pero no a todos los usos del imperfecto.
Cómo se forma el past continuous
| Forma | Estructura | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Afirmativa | Sujeto + was/were + verbo-ing | She was studying at nine. They were playing soccer. |
| Negativa | Sujeto + wasn't/weren't + verbo-ing | I wasn't sleeping. |
| Pregunta | Was/Were + sujeto + verbo-ing? | Were you working yesterday afternoon? |
| Respuesta corta | Yes, + sujeto + was/were. No, + sujeto + wasn't/weren't. | Yes, I was. No, they weren't. |
I, he, she e it llevan was; you, we y they, were. Los verbos de estado (know, like, want, believe) casi nunca van en forma continua: I knew the answer, no I was knowing.
Cuándo se usa el past continuous
Una acción en progreso en un momento del pasado
Describe lo que estaba pasando a cierta hora o en cierto periodo.
- At 7 a.m. I was waiting for the bus.
- What were you doing at midnight?
- This time last year we were living in Ambato.
Una acción interrumpida por otra
La acción larga va en past continuous y la corta que la interrumpe, en past simple, normalmente con when.
- I was taking a shower when the lights went out.
- She was crossing the street when she saw her teacher.
- We were having dinner when my phone rang.
Acciones simultáneas y el escenario de una historia
Con while unes dos acciones largas; también sirve para pintar el fondo de un relato.
- While I was cooking, my son was doing his homework.
- It was raining and people were running to find a taxi.
Expresiones de tiempo y palabras clave
Estas palabras y expresiones aparecen mucho con el past continuous:
- while
- when
- at that moment
- at 5 p.m. yesterday
- all morning
- this time last week
- as
Errores frecuentes de hispanohablantes
| Error | Corrección | Por qué |
|---|---|---|
| ✗ I was study when you called. | ✔ I was studying when you called. | Falta el -ing. El español "estaba estudiando" ayuda a recordarlo. |
| ✗ They was watching TV. | ✔ They were watching TV. | Con you, we y they se usa were. |
| ✗ I was knowing him. | ✔ I knew him. | Know es un verbo de estado y no suele ir en forma continua. |
| ✗ While I cooked, the phone was ringing. | ✔ While I was cooking, the phone rang. | La acción larga va en continuo; la corta que interrumpe, en past simple. |
| ✗ When I was a child, I was playing soccer every Saturday. | ✔ When I was a child, I played (o used to play) soccer every Saturday. | El imperfecto del español ("jugaba") también expresa hábitos; en inglés los hábitos del pasado van en past simple o con used to. |
Past continuous vs past simple
| Past continuous | Past simple | |
|---|---|---|
| Qué expresa | Una acción en progreso, de fondo | Una acción completa, un hecho |
| Duración | Larga o sin terminar en ese momento | Corta o terminada |
| En una historia | El escenario: It was raining… | Los hechos: …and then I saw her. |
| Ejemplo | I was reading when he arrived. | I read the whole book yesterday. |
When suele ir con la acción corta (past simple) y while con la acción larga (past continuous).
Miniconversación
Dos amigos hablan de una llamada que no tuvo respuesta.
A: Where were you last night? I called you twice.
B: Sorry! I was helping my sister with her math homework.
A: At ten o'clock?
B: Yes. And while we were working, the internet stopped.
A: Oh no. What were you doing when it came back?
B: We were still sitting at the table, trying to solve problem number five.
A: Did you finish?
B: Finally, yes. We finished at eleven.
10 ejercicios con respuestas
Completa con past continuous o past simple. En el último, corrige el error.
- At 6 p.m. yesterday, I ___ (walk) home.
- They ___ (not / listen) when the teacher came in.
- ___ you ___ (sleep) when I called?
- She ___ (drive) to work when she ___ (see) the accident.
- While we ___ (eat), it ___ (start) to rain.
- What ___ he ___ (do) at midnight?
- I ___ (break) my glasses while I ___ (play) basketball.
- At 4 p.m. the kids ___ (watch) a movie.
- When the bus ___ (arrive), we ___ (talk) about the exam.
- Corrige: I was knowing the answer.
Ver respuestas
- was walking
- weren't listening
- Were … sleeping
- was driving … saw
- were eating … started
- was … doing
- broke … was playing
- were watching
- arrived … were talking
- I knew the answer.
Siguiente paso: si no sabes tu nivel, haz el test de nivel de inglés (unos 15 minutos, con resultado al instante). Para seguir con este tema, conoce los ejercicios de gramática inglesa por nivel de Vozi Grammar.
Preguntas frecuentes
¿Cuándo se usa el past continuous?
Para una acción que estaba en progreso en un momento del pasado (At 8 p.m. I was cooking), para una acción interrumpida por otra (I was cooking when you called) y para describir el escenario de una historia.
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre past simple y past continuous?
El past simple presenta una acción completa (I cooked dinner). El past continuous la presenta en progreso, a menudo como fondo de otra acción (I was cooking dinner when she arrived).
¿Cuándo uso when y cuándo while?
While suele ir con la acción larga en past continuous (while I was driving) y when con la acción corta en past simple (when the phone rang), aunque when también puede introducir la acción larga.
¿El past continuous es lo mismo que el imperfecto del español?
Solo en parte. Estaba comiendo equivale a I was eating, pero el imperfecto también expresa hábitos (de niño jugaba fútbol), y en inglés esos hábitos van normalmente en past simple o con used to. El past continuous solo se usa con always para quejarse de un hábito (He was always complaining).