UNIT 6 LESSON 06: WHAT WAS HAPPENING?

Let’s talk about what was happening! 👀

👀 WHAT WAS HAPPENING?

We use the Past Continuous to talk about an action that was happening at a particular moment in the past.

• At six o’clock, I was doing my homework.
• She was watching TV at eight o’clock.
• They were playing football in the afternoon.
• We were having dinner at seven.

Think of the Past Continuous as a picture of an action in progress at a moment in the past. 📸

🧩 WAS OR WERE?

The Past Continuous uses was / were + verb-ing.

Subject	Past Continuous	Example
I	was + verb-ing	I was reading.
He	was + verb-ing	He was sleeping.
She	was + verb-ing	She was cooking.
It	was + verb-ing	It was raining.
You	were + verb-ing	You were studying.
We	were + verb-ing	We were talking.
They	were + verb-ing	They were playing.

Easy trick: I / he / she / it → was and you / we / they → were.

✏️ LET’S ADD -ING!

To make the Past Continuous, we need the -ing form of the verb.

Verb	Verb + -ing	Example
play	playing	They were playing.
watch	watching	She was watching TV.
read	reading	I was reading.
cook	cooking	He was cooking.
run	running	We were running.
swim	swimming	She was swimming.
write	writing	I was writing.
make	making	They were making a cake.

❓ WHAT WERE THEY DOING?

We can use the Past Continuous to describe what people were doing at a particular moment.

• At five o’clock, Emma was doing her homework.
• Her brother was playing a video game.
• Their parents were cooking dinner.
• The dog was sleeping under the table.

🚫 WHAT WASN’T HAPPENING?

For negative sentences, use wasn’t / weren’t + verb-ing.

• She wasn’t sleeping. 🚫
• He wasn’t watching TV. 🚫
• We weren’t playing outside. 🚫
• They weren’t studying. 🚫

❓ WAS SHE…?

We can ask questions with Was or Were.

Question	Short answer
Was she cooking?	Yes, she was. / No, she wasn’t.
Was he playing football?	Yes, he was. / No, he wasn’t.
Were they watching TV?	Yes, they were. / No, they weren’t.
Were you studying?	Yes, I was. / No, I wasn’t.

🕐 AT A MOMENT IN THE PAST

We often use the Past Continuous with a specific time in the past.

Time expression	Example
at six o’clock	I was having dinner at six o’clock.
at eight o’clock	She was reading at eight o’clock.
yesterday afternoon	We were playing yesterday afternoon.
last night	They were watching a film last night.

📖 A BUSY EVENING

Read about what was happening in Emma’s house yesterday evening.

Yesterday evening, Emma was at home with her family.

At six o’clock, Emma was doing her homework in her bedroom. Her brother Leo was playing a video game in the living room. Their mum was cooking dinner in the kitchen, and their dad was reading a book.

At half past six, Leo was still playing his game. Emma was talking to her friend on the phone. Their dog was sleeping near the sofa.

At seven o’clock, the family was having dinner together. Everyone was talking and laughing. It was a busy but happy evening!

🔎 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. Where was Emma at six o’clock?
2. What was Emma doing?
3. What was Leo doing?
4. What was Mum doing?
5. What was Dad doing?
6. Who was sleeping near the sofa?
7. What was the family doing at seven o’clock?
8. How was the evening?

💬 CAN, CAN’T, COULD & COULDN’T

We can also use these verbs to talk about what someone can or could do.

Verb	Use	Example
can	ability now	I can swim.
can’t	no ability now	I can’t drive.
could	ability in the past	I could swim when I was six.
couldn’t	no ability in the past	I couldn’t swim when I was four.

After can, can’t, could and couldn’t, use the base form of the verb.

• I could swim. ✅
• I could swam. ❌
• She couldn’t ride a bike. ✅
• She couldn’t rode a bike. ❌

🗣️ WHAT WERE YOU DOING?

Think about yesterday. Complete the sentences with your own ideas.

• At 5 o’clock, I was __________________.
• At 6 o’clock, I was __________________.
• At 7 o’clock, I was __________________.
• At 8 o’clock, I was __________________.
• Yesterday evening, I was __________________.

Challenge: Write 8–10 sentences describing what you and your family were doing at different times yesterday.

🏆 A2 CHALLENGE

A picture from the past!

Imagine that you have a photo of your family at home yesterday afternoon. Describe what everyone was doing.

• use at least 5 Past Continuous sentences
• use both was and were
• include at least one negative sentence
• use at least three different verbs
• say where the people were
• say what they were doing

Example: At four o’clock, my mum was cooking in the kitchen. My dad was reading in the living room. My sister and I were playing in the garden. Our dog was sleeping under the table. We weren’t watching TV because we were outside.

🎮 GAMES — WHAT WAS HAPPENING?

Practise what you’ve learned! Try these games and practise the Past Continuous and past abilities.

📥 Fichas descargables

📝 Resumen

En esta lección de inglés A2 aprenderás a hablar de acciones que estaban ocurriendo en un momento concreto del pasado utilizando el Past Continuous. Practicarás la estructura was / were + verbo-ing, las formas afirmativas, negativas e interrogativas y expresiones de tiempo relacionadas con momentos del pasado. También aprenderás a utilizar can, can’t, could y couldn’t para hablar de capacidades en el presente y en el pasado. A través de ejemplos, una lectura original, juegos y actividades de producción, podrás describir qué estaba haciendo cada persona en una situación determinada.