Past Simple vs Past Continuous: Easy Grammar Guide + Fun Story for ESL Learners

Rose Sensei
Nov 11, 2025
3 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Do you ever get confused between Past Simple and Past Continuous?

🤔 You’re not alone! Many English learners wonder when to say I watched and when to say I was watching.

In this lesson, you’ll learn:

When to use each tense
How the Past Continuous helps set the scene in stories
Common time expressions
A short story to see both in action
Practice questions to test yourself

Let’s make grammar simple — and fun! 🌸

Split image: Left shows a woman with a mug by a rainy window; right, a man holding an umbrella, entering. Text: Past Simple vs. Past Continuous.

📺 Watch the Lesson on our YouTube channel

🎥 Past Simple vs. Past Continuous – Learn Grammar Through Story→ (coming)

Grammar Guide: Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

🕒 1. Past Simple

We use Past Simple to talk about completed actions in the past.

✅ Structure: Subject + Verb (past form)

➡️ I visited Paris last year.

✅ Examples:

She watched a movie last night.
They cooked dinner yesterday.
He didn’t go to work on Monday.
Did you see that film?

⏰ Common time expressions:

Yesterday, last week, in 2010, ago, when I was a child…

📖 Want a full guide?

👉 Learn more about the Past Simple Tense →

💬 This beginner-friendly post explains Past Simple step-by-step with timelines, examples, and a mini story for practice.

2. Past Continuous

We use Past Continuous to talk about actions in progress at a specific time in the past.

✅ Structure: Subject + was/were + verb-ing

➡️ I was watching TV at 8 p.m.

✅ Examples:

She was reading when the phone rang.
They were having dinner at 7 o’clock.
I wasn’t sleeping when you called.
What were you doing yesterday evening?

⏰ Common time expressions:

While, when, as, at that time, all evening, all day…

📖 Learn the full usage guide here:👉 Past Continuous Explained Simply →💬 Discover how to use Past Continuous naturally — with storytelling examples and everyday situations.

3. Scene-Setting in Storytelling

Writers and speakers often use the Past Continuous to describe background actions or atmosphere — it helps set the scene before something happens.

📍 Example:

It was raining, the wind was blowing, and people were hurrying home.....
(This creates the scene before the main action starts.)

🪄 Think of it as the “movie background” of your story — it tells what was happening all around!

4. When to Use Them Together

We often use both tenses in the same sentence:

Past Continuous → longer background action
Past Simple → shorter action that interrupts it

📍 Example:

I was cooking dinner when the doorbell rang.
(Long action = cooking; short action = doorbell rang)

📖 Story Time: A Rainy Evening in Rome

It was raining heavily in Rome last night.

🌧️ Maria was sitting by the window and drinking her tea.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.

She opened it and saw her friend Luca — completely wet!

“Hi, Maria,” he said. “I was walking home when my umbrella broke!”

Maria laughed and gave him a towel.

While Luca was drying his hair, Maria made some hot chocolate.

They talked for hours as the rain was falling outside.

It was a cosy evening they would never forget. ❤️

🧩 Practice Time!

A. Choose the correct answer:

1️⃣ I ______ (watched / was watching) TV when I heard a strange noise.

2️⃣ She ______ (cooked / was cooking) dinner when her phone rang.

3️⃣ We ______ (walked / were walking) in the park all afternoon yesterday.

4️⃣ They ______ (played / were playing) football when it started to rain.

5️⃣ I ______ (read / was reading) your message last night.

B. Complete the sentences:

1️⃣ While I ______ (wait) for the bus, I ______ (see) my teacher.

2️⃣ He ______ (fall) asleep while he ______ (watch) TV.

3️⃣ It ______ (rain) when we ______ (leave) the café.

Need more practice?

👉Download PDF Past Simple vs Past Continuous worksheet here.

🎯 Quick Recap

Function	Past Simple	Past Continuous
Completed actions	✅	❌
Actions in progress	❌	✅
Interrupted actions	✅ + ✅	✅ + ✅
Scene setting	❌	✅
Example:	I cooked dinner.	I was cooking dinner.