Past Simple vs. Continuous ¿Os gustan las lasañas? Let's travel in time!

English & Lasagna

Past Simple vs. Continuous

¿Os gustan las lasañas? Let's travel in time!

Audio Assistant

16 oct 2023

Buenas tardes, estimados alumnos.

Yummy, yummy, requeteyummy.

¿Os gustan las lasañas? Test online below!

👉 WHILE
Mientras que...

👉 AS
Mientras que...

👉 WHEREAS
Mientras que...

👉 WHEN
Cuando...

👉 SUDDENLY
De repente...

👉 ALL OF A SUDDEN
De repente...

When you are talking about the past, you use the past continuous for actions that continued to happen before and after another action, or before and after a particular time. This is often called the 'interrupted past'. You use the past simple for the other action.

Charles was watching television when the doorbell rang.

It was 6 o'clock. The train was nearing London.

WARNING

If two things happened one after another, you use two verbs in the past simple tense:

'As soon as he saw me, he waved his hand'.

Y ahora, en español normalito:

Cuando estás hablando sobre el pasado, se puede usar el pasado continuo para referirse a acciones que continuaban sucediendo antes y después de otra acción, o antes o después de un momento concreto en el pasado. A esta acción se le llama normalmente 'un pasado interrumpido'. Se usa el pasado simple para la otra acción:

'Charles estaba viendo la televisión cuando la puerta sonó'.

Tenemos dos acciones en el pasado: ver la tele, sonar una puerta. Cronológicamente, la primera es la acción de ver la tele, que se vio interrumpida por el sonido de la puerta cuando alguien llamó.

'El tren se aproximaba a Londres. Eran las 6 de la tarde'

Hoy toca repasar los pasados simples y continuos. Veamos:

• Example 1

  'I was yawning in the chemistry lesson while the teacher was trying to call our attention'

  'Yo estaba bostezando en clase mientras que la profe intentaba llamar nuestra atención'.

• Example 2

  'My boss phoned me while I was talking to some students so I couldn't pick up the call'.

  'Mi jefe me llamó por teléfono mientras que yo estaba hablando con algunas alumnas...'

• Example 3

  'My boss was shouting my name while I was listening to music with my earphones on'.
• Example 4 (Lasagna!)

  'I was eating a creamy lasagna when my mum saw that it was the dinner that she had prepared for that evening'.

  'Yo estaba comiéndome una lasaña cremosa cuando mi madre vio que era la comida...'

The -ING Mechanics

Rule 1: Silent 'E'

Remove 'e' + ing

Make → Making

Dance → Dancing

Rule 2: The Doubler (CVC)

Double consonant + ing

Swim → Swimming

Run → Running

Rule 3: The 'Y' Survivor

Keep 'y' + ing

¡La 'Y' casi nunca cambia aquí!

Play → Playing

Study → Studying

Rule 4: The 'IE' Switch

Change 'ie' to 'y' + ing

Die → Dying

Lie → Lying

Más detalles sobre cambios al añadir -ING aquí

Grammar Cheat Sheet

Past Continuous

Action in progress (To Play)

Affirmative (+)	Negative (-)	Interrogative (?)
I was playing	I wasn't playing	Was I playing?
You were playing	You weren't playing	Were you playing?
He/She was playing	He wasn't playing	Was he playing?
We were playing	We weren't playing	Were we playing?
They were playing	They weren't playing	Were they playing?

Past Simple

Completed action (To Walk)

Affirmative (+)	Negative (-)	Interrogative (?)
I walked	I didn't walk	Did I walk?
You walked	You didn't walk	Did you walk?
He/She walked	He didn't walk	Did he walk?
We walked	We didn't walk	Did we walk?
They walked	They didn't walk	Did they walk?

English Practice Zone

Let's consolidate with games and logic!

Time Connectors

Use these words to join your "lasagna" stories:

• WHILE Usually followed by Past Continuous. It emphasizes duration.
  "While I was cooking..."
• WHEN Usually followed by Past Simple. It emphasizes the interruption.
  "...when the phone rang."
• AS Similar to "While". Used for two actions happening simultaneously.

The Timeline Visualizer

Drag the slider to see the interruption!

I was sleeping... 😴

📱

Start the action...

00:00

Time Travel Quiz 🚀

Quiz Complete!

You scored 0 / 10

Confidential Police File #893

The Case of the Missing Lasagna

Waiting for witness statement...

Reconstruct the Crime

Select the correct form to build the report.

The Grammar Bouncer

VIP Access Only

You are the bouncer. Only correct sentences get into the party. Reject the bad grammar!

I was sleeping when you called.

Streak: 0

¿Listo para el Reto Final?

Demuestra que dominas el tiempo y que las lasañas no son un obstáculo para tu inglés. ¡A por el 10!

"I was happily sleeping when I got a message..."

1 Yo ya dormía (Continuous)

2 Me despierta el malaje (Simple)

"Pero sigue siendo un lío..." (But it's still a mess!)

Realizar Test en Google Drive

@mmolpor • Teacher Approved

Created for my awesome students • Neuro-English Approach