When is the past continuous used? Learn to narrate in the past

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The past continuous is one of the different verb tenses in English to talk about the past . It has several rules and contexts of use that differentiate it from other past tenses, so it can sometimes be a bit confusing. When is colombia phone number list past continuous used ? When can you use just the past simple ? How do you refer to an action that happens before another? Today we are going to solve your doubts about narrative tenses and, in particular, about the use of the past continuous.

Narrative verb tenses
Narrative tenses are those that we use to narrate past actions. They are, in summary, the simple past, the past continuous, the simple past perfect and the past perfect continuous.

Free Download: English Verb Tenses

Let's see a brief summary of each one and its use:

Simple past : I walked home after the party. We use this tense for actions completed in the past or for habits in the past .
Past continuous : I was walking home that night.
We use it for actions that were being carried out at a certain point in the past, or sometimes to highlight the duration of an action.
Past perfect simple : I had left the party fifteen minutes before.
It indicates actions that finished before a specific moment in the past.
Past perfect continuous : I had been walking in the cold since then.
It is used in a similar way to the simple past perfect, except that it highlights the duration of an action.
If you're still not clear, take a look at one of our verb tenses reference guides before continuing.

When is the past continuous used ?
To fully understand the use of the past continuous, it is important to understand why and when it should be used instead of or together with other verbal tenses. Let's look at a comparison between them: