The past progressive tense
The past progressive tense, also called the past continuous tense, emphasizes a
continuing or incomplete action in the past. We can use this tense to describe what was
in progress at a specific moment in time in the past. It is formed with the past form of
the auxiliary verb be (was/were), and the present participle or -ing form of the main
verb.
Learn how to conjugate the past progressive tense in English grammar and get tips on
its usage. In the exercises, you can test your English grammar skills.
Example
Lucy was sitting on the beach at six o’clock yesterday.
Her friend Laurence doesn’t like being lazy. So while Lucy was relaxing on the beach,
he was sailing.
Lucy was watching the sunset when Laurence passed by on his boat.
When to use the past progressive tense
There are a few ways to use the past progressive tense in English grammar. We can use it to express:

an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past
Example:
Lucy was sitting on the beach at six o’clock yesterday.

two actions that were taking place at the same time
Example:
While Lucy was relaxing on the beach, Laurence was sailing.

a past action that was interrupted by a second past action
Example:
Lucy was watching the sunset when Laurence passed by on his boat.
Signal Words: English Past Progressive Tense
Signal words can help you to identify which verb tense is being used in a sentence. The signal words for
the past progressive are:

while, as long as
Conjugation of English Past Progressive Tense
To conjugate the past progressive tense, we use the past tense form of the auxiliary verb be and
the main verb in its -ing form. The table below provides an overview of the conjugation of the
past progressive tense in positive, negative and interrogative sentences.
positive
negative
question
I / he / she / it
I was speaking
I was not speaking
Was I speaking?
you / we / they
you were speaking
you were not speaking
Were you speaking?
Present Participle – Spelling Rules
The present participle or -ing form is usually formed by adding -ing to the base infinitive of the verb.
However, there are a few exceptions to the rule.

An -e at the end of the word is removed, but -ee, -oe and -ye remain unchanged.
Example:
come – coming
(but: agree - agreeing)

For words that have a short stressed vowel before the final consonant, the final consonant is
doubled, but not -w, -x and -y.
Example:
sit – sitting
(but: mix – mixing)

An -l as the final consonant after a vowel is always doubled in British English, but not in
American English.
Example:
travel – travelling (British)
traveling (American)

An -ie at the end of the word is replaced with a -y.
Example:
lie – lying
Exercises
Yesterday at nine o’clock, these people were right in the middle of doing something.
What were they doing?
Type in the verbs in the Past Progressive.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Richard (work) on his computer at 9 o’clock yesterday.
Lucy and Tom (have) dinner.
I (read) an article in the newspaper.
The children (watch) a film on TV at that time.
Paula (chat) on the phone with a friend.
Complete the sentences with the past progressive of the verbs in brackets.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
When I came into the living room, the cats (sit) on the table.
I could tell by his eyes that he (lie) to me.
We (play) Monopoly when our neighbours rang at the door.
Helen (listen) to the radio when she heard a strange noise in the garden.
I (prepare) dinner yesterday when I noticed that the cooker (work/not) .
Write questions in the Past Progressive.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
(what/do/you) yesterday at six?
(Jane/practise) the piano when you came home?
(who/talk/to you) when I saw you last night?
(what/discuss/they) when she went over to them?
(type/she) a message when you interrupted her?
Perfect Progressive Tense
The past perfect progressive, also past perfect continuous, is used for actions that were in
progress shortly before or up to a certain past time. It emphasizes the process of an action rather
than the completion. It is similar to the present perfect progressive tense but is used to express
past actions. We form this tense with had + been + present participle or -ing form of the main
verb.
Example
I went to visit Louise the other day. She had been practising the flute for hours when I arrived.
Louise looked very tired because she had been practising for so long.
The piece is very difficult and although Louise had been practising it for a long time, she still
hadn’t mastered it.
Usage
We use the past perfect progressive tense to express the following:

an action that started before a certain time in the past and was interrupted by a second
action
Example:
Louise had been practising for hours when Mark knocked on the door.

an action that started and ended before a certain time in the past but the effect of this
action was still important at that moment
Example:
When I saw Louise, she was tired because she had been practising all day.

an action that started before a certain time in the past and wasn’t completed at that time
Example:
She had been practising for a very long time, but she still hadn’t mastered the piece.
Past Perfect Simple or Progressive?
Sometimes, we can use the past perfect instead of the past perfect progressive without
completely changing the meaning of the sentence, instead, we change the focus of the sentence
from the duration of an action to its completion.
Example:
Louise had been practising for an hour.
Focus is on the duration of the action.
Louise had practised for an hour.
Focus is on the completion of the action.
Signal Words
Signal words can help us to recognize the tense in a sentence. The signal words for the past
perfect progressive are:


for …, since …
the whole day, all day
The signal words for the past perfect progressive are the same as those for the present perfect
progressive. The difference is that the signal words for the past perfect progressive refer to the
past, not the present.
Past Perfect Progressive in Spoken English
We don’t use the past perfect progressive often in spoken English – it is much more common in
written texts. Therefore, native English speakers prefer to rephrase a sentence slightly in order to
use simpler tenses.
Example:
Louise had been practicing for hours when Mark knocked on the door. (past perfect
progressive)
Louise was practicing when Mark knocked on the door. (past progressive)
If we leave out the duration of an action, we can use the past progressive instead of
the past perfect progressive.
Conjugation of Past Perfect Progressive Tense
To conjugate the past perfect progressive tense, we need the auxiliary verbs have and be in
the past participle: had + been + -ing form of the main verb.
all forms are the
same
positive
negative
question
I had been speaking
I had not been speaking
Had I been speaking?
Contractions
Contractions are a combination of certain pronouns, verbs and the word not. They are mostly
used in spoken and informal written English. The table below provides an overview of
contractions in the past perfect progressive tense using the verb had.
long form
contraction
example
had
…’d
they’d
had not
…’d not/… hadn’t
I’d not/I hadn’t
Negated Contractions
In written English, we usually form contractions with a pronoun and an auxiliary verb, but not
with a noun and an auxiliary verb.
Example:
She’d not been practicing for a long time.
(but not: ) The girl/Louise ’d not been practicing for a long time
Negated contractions, formed with an auxiliary verb and not, can be used after nouns as well as
pronouns.
Example:
She hadn’t been practicing for a long time.
The girl/Louise hadn’t been practicing for a long time.
Exercise:
1. Max
2. How long
3. I
4.
5. Who
6. It
7. How long
8. Marie
9.
10. What
his comic book. (not/to read)
French? (they/to learn)
for two months now. (not/to drive)
the whole morning? (she/to walk)
in the garden? (to dig)
much in this area. (not/to rain)
this ring? (you/to wear)
in her diary. (not/to write)
matchstick figures lately? (he/to draw)
this whole time? (we/to do)