Difficulty

Low (Medium) High
A1 A2 (B1) B2 C1 C2

Differences between these two tenses:

Past Simple

Past Continuous

1) Used to talk about a finished action in the past, often with time expressions like yesterday, last week, a year ago etc. 1) Used to express an action in progress at a particular time in the past
2) used when one action happens after another 2) to give background information
  3) for an interrupted action in the past
Examples:  
1) We went to Mexico two years ago. 1) I was having dinner at 7 o’clock last night
2) When Tom arrived we went to the cinema. 2) When I got to the school, the teachers were talking, the children were playing and the phone was ringing.
  3) I was cooking when the phone rang.

 

Remember – we don’t usually use state verbs in continuous tenses. E.g. need, want, love, like, know, understand, hate, remember etc.

created by Tess Giordmaina

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