Uso del Pasado Continuo en Inglés: Estructura y Ejemplos

Clase 8 de 27 • Curso de Inglés Intermedio B1: Palabras Interrogativas y Propósitos

Resumen

¿Cómo usar el pasado continuo en inglés?

El pasado continuo en inglés es una herramienta clave para describir acciones que sucedían en el pasado de manera prolongada o interrumpida. Esta estructura es perfecta para contar historias y relatar cambios, habilidades esenciales en el proceso de adquisición del idioma inglés.

¿Cuál es la estructura del pasado continuo?

La estructura del pasado continuo es bastante sencilla y sigue la fórmula: sujeto + was/were + forma -ing del verbo. Esto nos permite describir acciones que tenían continuidad en el pasado.

Ejemplos afirmativos:

She was playing tennis.
They were having dinner.

Para formar oraciones negativas, añadimos not después de was/were:

She was not playing tennis.
They were not having dinner.

En las preguntas, cambiamos el orden:

Was she playing tennis?
Were they having dinner?

¿Por qué es útil el pasado continuo?

El pasado continuo nos permite agregar profundidad a las narraciones. Por ejemplo, al decir "Estaba caminando hacia el río cuando empezó a llover", estamos pintando una escena detallada del pasado, perfecta para contar cuentos o anécdotas.

¿Cómo llega a nuestra cotidianidad?

El uso del pasado continuo es común en situaciones cotidianas. Imaginemos que estás comiendo una deliciosa pizza en Medellín cuando, de repente, comienza a sonar reggaetón a todo volumen. Podrías narrar esta escena diciendo: "I was eating pizza when the reggaeton started blasting." Esto plasma la acción en un contexto cultural y geográfico preciso.

Practicando con el pasado continuo

Para desarrollar habilidades en el uso del pasado continuo, es útil realizar ejercicios prácticos. Aquí te dejo algunas preguntas para reflexionar y practicar:

¿Qué actividades divertidas hacías cuando eras niño?
¿Cuál crees que es la diferencia entre las personas hace 20 años y ahora?
¿Qué estabas haciendo hace dos horas?

Estas preguntas te impulsan a usar el pasado continuo y examinar cómo las acciones pasadas se conectan con el presente. Además, siempre puedes descargar hojas de ejercicios para practicar aún más.

Recuerda, con práctica constante y reflexión sobre tus experiencias, mejorarás en el uso del pasado continuo y expandirás tus habilidades en inglés. ¡Sigue adelante y nunca dejes de aprender!

Cristian Morón Oñate

student•

Julián Cárdenas

student•

Excellent thanks for the exercise

Sindy Barragán

student•

1. I was watching (watch) TV when she called me.

2. They were playing (play) soccer when it started raining.

3. We were studying (study) for the exam when the power went out.

4. He was cooking (cook) dinner when his friend arrived.

5. She drank coffee and read the newspaper. She was drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.

6. He walked to work every day. He was walking to work every day.

7. They watched the movie in silence. They were watching the movie in silence.

8. The baby slept peacefully. The baby was sleeping peacefully.

Natalia Andrea Rodríguez Rodríguez

student•

Past continuous:

Subject + was/were (not) + -ing form

They were making something.
She was not playing tennis.
Were you playing tennis?

Ninoska Esteves

student•

1-When i was a kid i used to love fighting so my parents enrolled me in one taekwondo academy , for that i was always doing my sport or playing with my sisters and cousins.

María Magdalena Anell Moreno

student•

He was living in the mountains for 20 years.
We were working as bakers at a little bakery in Prague.
They was smiling and laughing until they realized that jack was hurt.

María Magdalena Anell Moreno

student•

I was watching TV when she call me.
They were playing soccer when it Started raining.
We were studying for the exam when the power went out.
He was cooking dinner when his friends arrived.

Carlos Redondo (Neco)

student•

I was watching TV every weeken morning
We were playing with toys in our yard
I was telling stories when the power went out
They didn´t studyig online like us now
I was studying on Platzi 2 hours ago

Ivan Cajamarca

student•

Answer questions

When I was a kid, I was playing videogames when I got my first book. That gift changed my life.
20 years ago, people were talking each other on the streets all the time. Everything changed with mobile devices.
Two hours ago I was studying English in Platzi, and three hours ago I was watching 'The Bear' through Hulu.

Worksheet

I was watching TV when she called me.
They were playing soccer when it started raining.
We were studying for the exam when the power went out.
He was cooking dinner when his friend arrived.
She was drinking coffe and reading newspaper.
He was walking to work every day.
They were watching the movie in silencce.
The baby was sleeping peacefully.

Ivan Cajamarca

student•

He was living in the mountains for 20 years.
We were working as bakers at a little bakery in Prague.
They were smiling and laughing until they realized that Jake was hurt.

Daniel Steven Carrera Osorno

student•

What fun activities did you do when you were a child?

When I was a little boy, I was playing with brick blocks and action figures. There were always some toys in my hand or in my pocket ready for my next adventure.

Daniel Steven Carrera Osorno

student•

Hahaha! Come on teacher, you make my day with that: doo-ka-doo-ka-doo, 🎶

Johanna Marcela Orjuela Flórez

student•

What fun activities did you do when you were a child?

When I was a girl, I was playing alone or sometimes with my little sister every afternoon.
I was watching cartoons and playing with Barbie

What do you think is the difference between people 20 years ago and now?

Twenty years ago, people were spending more time outside and studying.
They weren’t using social media, only internet and email

What were you doing two hours ago?

Two hours ago, I was having dinner with my family.
I was taking an online class.

Fabian Camilo Huertas Suarez

student•

When I was kid I used to playing soccer in the neighbor
The differences of people 20 years ago is that people are spending more time in their cellphones
I was playing dark souls 3 and Halo Infinite 2 hours ago

Joel Suarez

student•

I was playing videogames video games for plenty of time when I was a kid

20 years ago people were spending more time with their children than they do now

I was studying English two hours ago

JUAN SEBASTIAN BECERRA BEDOYA

student•

When I was a kid, I used to play soccer with my neighbors and build tree houses

I thought people used to be more social than they are now because they didn't have devices like smartphones, which make communication with others more difficult

I was watching a soccer match between Colombia and Peru that ended in a tie

diana triviño

student•

He was living in the mountains for 20 years.

We were working as bakers at a little bakery in Prague.

They were smiling and laughing until they realized that Jake was hurt.

Andrés Llerena

student•

Francisco Alejandro Garcia Salazar

student•

When i was a kid, i was playing a lot soccer in my neighborhood with my friends.
The people 20 years ago wasn't doing all the things we can do now with internet
2 hours ago i was walking my dog out to the park near my house

diana triviño

student•

When you were a child, what fun activities did you do?

I was playing games outside our house.

I was dancing to folk music.

I was studying at school.

I was practicing volleyball.

I was reading many books.

I was swimming in the pool.

What do you think is the difference between people 20 years ago and people today?

People 20 years ago were eating tasty food; today, people are eating a lot of fast food.

What were you doing two hours ago?

I was picking up my daughter from school.

David Tomé

student•

Two hours ago I was sleeping.

This is an irrefutable reality, in the past, kids were playing in the streets.

In my childhood, I was playing football with my brothers, after that, we were playing any console.