Review the Past Continuous / Repasa el pasado continuo en inglés

La afirmativa del past continuous se forma con was / were de verbo auxiliar y añadiendo ing al verbo principal. Las contracciones no son posibles aquí. Ni lo intentes, que es uno de los errores que comete la gente. Ya sabes que was es para la primera singular y para la tercera singular (I, he, she, it) y were para todo lo demás (you, we, you, they).

Examples: I was sleeping. / Yo estaba durmiendo.

She was dancing. / Ella estaba bailando.

We were eating ice-cream. / Estábamos comiendo helado.

You were talking on the phone. / Tú estabas hablando por teléfono.

Recuerda las normas para añadir ing:

A la mayoría de los verbos basta con añadirles ing: cook – cooking, go- going, sleep-sleeping.

A los verbos que acaban en una sola e, se les quita la e: take – taking, date – dating, live-living, move-moving. Si acaban en más de una e, ni se te ocurra quitar nada.

A los verbos que acaban en ie, se les quita la ie y se pone en vez y: die –dying, lie – lying, tie-tying.

A los verbos que terminan en una sóla vocal + una sóla consonante, si son de una sóla sílaba, dóblales la consonante: stop-stopping, sit-sitting, sip-sipping. Por si no has visto el último verbo antes, significa sorber.

A los verbos que terminan en una única vocal + consonante y son de dos sílabas, dóblales también la última consonante siempre que la segunda sílaba sea la que lleva el acento: begin-beginning, permit- permitting, refer-referring. Sí. este último verbo significa referir. ¿Y cómo se sabe cuando llevan acento? Dedícate a escuchar. ¿Qué no te da la gana molestarte en aprender escuchando? Tendrás que lanzar una moneda y tener buena suerte.

En cuanto a W, X, Y, añade ing, y basta, a todo lo que termine en una de estas tres letras. No cometas el error pero que muy común de quitarle la y a study. Por lo tanto, los ejemplos son: study-studying, box-boxing, row-rowing. Estos verbos significan, respectivamente,  estudiar, boxear o dar un tortazo (sobre todo en las orejas), y remar.

La negativa se forma igual pero con not detrás del verbo auxiliar. Se puede contraer o no, como más te guste. Normalmente, si no contraes, pones más énfasis.
Examples: I was not sleeping. / Yo no estaba durmiendo.
She wasn’t dancing. / Ella no estaba bailando.
We weren’t eating ice-cream. / No estábamos comiendo helado.
You were not talking on the phone. / Tú no estabas hablando por teléfono.

PRACTICE:
1. They _______________ (have) breakfast.
2. He ___________ (visit) his aunt.
3. I ____________ (fix) the computer.
4. Sarah _____________(not listen) to the radio.
5. Pat and Mike _____________(not play) tennis.
6. The neighbors _____________(make) a lot of noise.
7. The students _____________(take) notes.
8. Nobody ____________ (use) the toilet.
9. They _____________(not copy) the answers.
10. She _____________ (not drive) too fast.
11. Ralph told the truth. He _______________ (not lie).
12. Georgia ______________ (call) all her friends.
13. It ______________ (not begin) to rain.
14. Mr. Jolly ____________ (write) a letter.
15. The children ______ (mix)colors to paint Easter eggs. (huevos de pascua)
16. Sherman _________ (jog) in the park.

Las yes/no questions tienen la siguiente fórmula:
Verbo auxiliar (was/were) + sujeto+ verbo principal con ing + resto+?
Ejes. Were + you + dancing + with Peter+?
Was+ Lena+ playing + the piano+?
PRACTICE:
1.
Yes, they were sitting outside.
2.
No, we weren’t playing badminton.
3.
Yes, Cotito was flying to Japan.
4.
No, I wasn’t reading the telegram.
5.
Yes, Angus was playing his bagpipe. (gaita)
6.
No, nobody was living in that house.
7.
Yes, Eliezer was buying milk at the supermarket.
8.
No, you weren´t sleeping.

La fórmula para las Wh questions o preguntas con palabra pregunta es:
Palabra pregunta + verbo auxiliar (was/were) + verbo principal con ing + resto+?
Ejes. Where + were + you + sitting+?
When + was + she + talking + on the telephone + ?
Why + was + the boy + crying + ?

Para las preguntas con palabra pregunta que preguntan por el sujeto, ya sabes que la fórmula no puede contener el sujeto, precisamente porque no se conoce.
Who + verbo auxiliar (was/were) + verbo principal + resto + ?
Ejes. Who + was + playing + the saxophone last night +?
Casi nunca se hacen estas preguntas con were, casi siempre se hacen con was. Hay que estar muy seguro de que el sujeto, aunque desconocido, es plural para hacer la pregunta con were.
Por ejemplo:
Who + were + fighting + in the street?
Esta pregunta de arriba se puede hacer con were porque de todos es sabido que para pelear hacen falta por lo menos dos.

Para las preguntas con palabra pregunta que preguntan qué es lo que alguien estaba haciendo, la fórmula es:
What + (was/were) + sujeto + doing + resto +?
Ejes.What were  you doing in the theatre? I was waiting for an actress. She is my friend.
¿Qué estabas haciendo en el teatro? Estaba esperando a una actriz. Es mi amiga.
What was she doing before she came here? She was swimming. See, her hair is wet.
¿Qué estaba haciendo ella antes de venir aquí? Estaba nadando. Mira, su pelo está mojado.

PRACTICE:
1.
John was cleaning the garage.
2.
John was cleaning the garage.
3.
John was cleaning the garage.
4.
The children were going to the park.
5.
Margaret was washing her clothes.
6.
Emma and Pam were sleeping at a friend’s house.
7.
They were cutting the grass because it was very tall.
8.
They were cutting the grass with a lawnmower. (cortacéspedes)

Esta última pregunta es para que la hagas con la palabra pregunta how, por eso hemos hecho desaparecer with. Sí, si no hubiésemos hecho desaparecer with, la pregunta se podría hacer de cualquiera de estas dos maneras:
A) Con la preposición al final: What were they cutting the grass with?
B) Como en español, con la preposición delante del todo: With what were they cutting the grass?
Pero hoy no nos vamos a meter en líos de preposiciones.

Usos del Pasado Continuo:
1) Acción incompleta en progreso en un momento especifico del pasado.
(Incomplete action in progress at a specific time in the past.)
Eje: At midnight, I was sleeping. / A medianoche, yo estaba durmiendo.
2) Acción incompleta en el pasado interrumpida por otra acción.
(Incomplete action in the past interrupted by another action.)
Ex. I was washing my hair when the phone rang. / Me estaba lavando el pelo cuando sonó el teléfono.
When, que significa cuando, suele conectar las dos acciones.
3) Dos acciones incompletas que estaban ocurriendo a la vez en algún momento del pasado.
(Two incomplete actions happening at the same time in the past.)
She was dancing while he was playing the fiddle. / Mientras él estaba tocando el violín, ella estaba bailando.
While, que significa mientras, suele conectar las dos acciones.

Sobre while y when sólo vamos a añadir que when suele ir seguido del pasado simple y while del pasado continuo. Pero puede no ser así.

Y vamos a decir que adverbios como always, only, just, still, already, etc., pueden ir entre los dos verbos del presente continuo.
Por ejemplo: He was just joking. / Él sólo estaba bromeando.
They were always eating. / Ellos siempre estaban comiendo.

La diferencia con el pasado simple es que el pasado simple se refiere a una acción completa y acabada en el pasado.

Sancho

Doesn't the past simple seem to be shorter than the past continuous?

¿A que el pasado simple da la impresión de ser más corto que el pasado continuo?



Don Quijote

Maybe that´s because the past continuous shows the process and the past simple the finished product.

Tal vez sea así porque el pasado continuo nos muestra el proceso y el pasado simple el producto acabado.

PRACTICE:

1. Margaret wasn't at home yesterday morning. She ______________ (shop) in the new mall. (mall - centro comercial).
2. We _______________ (fix) the roof when it caved in. (cave in - hundirse hacia dentro).
3. Adolph ______________ (learn) to speak Italian when he lived in Rome.
4. Lucretzia ____________ (help) us find Martha's house.
5. - 6. They _____________ (wait) for Jane at the airport when they ________ (see) our friend the pilot.
7.- 8. Of course I passed the test and you didn´t. While I _____________(study) for the test, you _____________ (dance) at a disco.
9.- 10. Patrick ______________ (drive) too fast when he __________ (have) the accident.
11. - 12. You _____________ (eat) so fast that you almost __________ (choke). (atragantarse)
13. Lenor ______ already __________ (have) the baby when the ambulance arrived.
14. Alice´s children ______ always _________ (cry).

15. Louise ________ still _________ (work) when John came to fetch her. (fetch-recoger).

16.  They _______ still ________ (argue) when we returned. (argue-discutir)
17.-18. Adalbert _____________ (feed) us when we ___________ (starve). (feed - alimentar, starve - morir de hambre).

PRACTICE: My friends and I________________ (watch) a horror film last night. While we_____________ (watch) the film, we _____ also _______(eat) pizza and _____________(drink) coke. Suddenly, the doorbell _____________(ring). I ______________ (go) to the door and ______________ (open) it and looked outside. There ___________ (be) nobody there. I ___________ (return) to the sofa where we _______________ (sit). Then, we ______________ (hear) a noise. Somebody ______________ (tap) at the window. I ____________ (draw) back the curtains but I couldn’t see anybody outside. My friends and I ________________ (begin) to feel frightened. Then we heard another noise. Somebody _______________ (scratch) the door. I was scared, but I ____________ (open) the door again. Out there was the pizza delivery boy. He only ______________ (want) to give us the new menu.

Answers /Respuestas

PRACTICE:
1. They WERE HAVING (have) breakfast.
2. He WAS VISTING (visit) his aunt.
3. I WAS FIXING (fix) the computer.
4. Sarah WASN'T LISTENING (not listen) to the radio.
5. Pat and Mike WEREN'T PLAYING (not play) tennis.
6. The neighbors WERE MAKING (make) a lot of noise.
7. The students WERE TAKING (take) notes.
8. Nobody WAS USING (use) the toilet.
9. They WEREN'T COPYING (not copy) the answers.
10. She WASN'T DRIVING (not drive) too fast.
11. Ralph told the truth. He WASN'T LYING  (not lie).
12. Georgia WAS CALLING (call) all her friends.
13. It WASN'T BEGINNING  (not begin) to rain.
14. Mr. Jolly WAS WRITING (write) a letter.
15. The children WERE MIXING (mix)colors to paint Easter eggs. (huevos de pascua)
16. Sherman WAS JOGGING (jog) in the park.

PRACTICE:
1. WERE THEY SITTING OUTSIDE?
Yes, they were sitting outside.
2.WERE YOU PLAYING BADMINTON?
No, we weren’t playing badminton.
3.WAS COTITO FLUING TO JAPAN?
Yes, Cotito was flying to Japan.
4.WERE YOU READING THE TELEGRAM?
No, I wasn’t reading the telegram.
5.wAS aNGUS PLAYING HIS BAGPIPE?
Yes, Angus was playing his bagpipe. (gaita)
6.WAS ANYBODY LIVING IN THAT HOUSE?
No, nobody was living in that house.
7.WAS ELIEZER BUYING MILK AT THE SUPERMARKET?
Yes, Eliezer was buying milk at the supermarket.
8.WERE YOU SLEEPING?
No, you weren´t sleeping.

PRACTICE:
1.WHO WAS CLEANING THE GARAGE?
John was cleaning the garage.
2.WHAT WAS JOHN CLEANING?
John was cleaning the garage.
3.WHAT WAS JOHN DOING?
John was cleaning the garage.
4.WHERE WERE THE CHILDREN GOING?
The children were going to the park.
5.WHAT WAS MARGARET DOING?
Margaret was washing her clothes.
6.WHERE WERE EMMA AND PAM SLEEPING?
Emma and Pam were sleeping at a friend’s house.
7.WHY WHERE THEY CUTTING THE GRASS?
They were cutting the grass because it was very tall.
8.HOW WHERE THEY CUTTING THE GRASS?
They were cutting the grass with a lawnmower. (cortacéspedes)

PRACTICE:

1. Margaret wasn't at home yesterday morning. She WAS SHOPPING  (shop) in the new mall. (mall - centro comercial).
2. We WERE FIXING (fix) the roof when it caved in. (cave in - hundirse hacia dentro).
3. Adolph LEARNED (learn) to speak Italian when he lived in Rome.
4. Lucretzia HELPED (help) us find Martha's house.
5. - 6. They WERE WAITING  (wait) for Jane at the airport when they  SAW (see) our friend the pilot.
7.- 8. Of course I passed the test and you didn´t. While I WAS STUDYING (study) for the test, you WERE DANCING (dance) at a disco.
9.- 10. Patrick WAS DRIVING (drive) too fast when he HAD (have) the accident.
11. - 12. You WERE EATING  (eat) so fast that you almost CHOKED (choke). (atragantarse)
13. Lenor WAS already HAVING (have) the baby when the ambulance arrived.
14. Alice´s children ARE always CRYING (cry).

15. Louise WAS still WORKING (work) when John came to fetch her. (fetch-recoger).

16.  They WERE still ARGUING (argue) when we returned. (argue-discutir)
17.-18. Adalbert FED (feed) us when we WERE STARVING (starve). (feed - alimentar, starve - morir de hambre).

PRACTICE: My friends and I WERE WATCHING (watch) a horror film last night. While we WERE WATCHING (watch) the film, we WERE also EATING (eat) pizza and DRINKING (drink) coke. Suddenly, the doorbell RANG (ring). I WENT (go) to the door and OPENED (open) it and looked outside. There WAS (be) nobody there. I RETURNED (return) to the sofa where we WERE SITTING (sit). Then, we HEARD (hear) a noise. Somebody WAS TAPPING (tap) at the window. I DREW (draw) back the curtains but I couldn’t see anybody outside. My friends and I WERE BEGINNING (begin) to feel frightened. Then we heard another noise. Somebody WAS SCRATCHING (scratch) the door. I was scared, but I OPENED (open) the door again. Out there was the pizza delivery boy. He only WANTED (want) to give us the new menu.