Inglés III, (Lunes, 24/3/14)

Explicamos la forma y el uso del Past Continuous.

• Past Continuous.

AFFIRMATIVE (suj + was/were + verbo+ing) (Yo estaba estudiando...)

I was studying
You were studying
He was studying
She was studying
It was studying
We were studying
You were studying
They were studying 

NEGATIVE (suj + wasn't/weren't + verbo+ing)

I wasn't studying

You weren't studying

He wasn't studying

She wasn't studying

It wasn't studying

We weren't studying

You weren't studying

They weren't studying

INTERROGATIVE (Was/were + suj + verbo+ing)

Was I studying?

Were you studying?

Was he studying?

Was she studying?

Was it studying?

Were we studying?

Were you studying?

Were they studying?

Usamos este tiempo verbal para expresar acciones que estaban teniendo lugar en un momento del pasado (Yesterday at 5 o'clock / Last Monday at 4.30) Se trata de acciones que tuvieron cierta duración en el tiempo y que el hablante quiere resaltar. 

I was working yesterday at 11.

Muchas veces este tiempo verbal aparece en combinación con el Past Simple. La acción expresada por el Past Continuous sería una acción larga que se ve interrumpida por una acción más corta expresada por el Past Simple

She was watching TV when I arrived (Ella estaba viendo la tele cuando yo llegué)
He was driving very fast when the police stopped him (Estaba conduciendo muy rápido cuando la policia lo paró)
The post arrived while I was working on the project (El correo llegó mientras yo estaba trabajando en el proyecto) 

Estas oraciones compuestas suelen ir unidas con los conectores WHEN (cuando) y WHILE (mientras) 

• Practica con este ejercicio