اللغة الإنجليزية – Grammar: The Past Simple vs Past Continuous – 3 ثانوي – شعبة آداب – بكالوريا – المنهاج الجزائري

The Past Simple vs Past Continuous

The Past Simple is used for completed actions in the past. The Past Continuous is used for actions in progress at a specific time in the past.

Past Simple

• Form: Subject + V-ed (regular) or irregular form.
• Use: Completed actions. Example: I visited my grandmother yesterday.
• Time expressions: yesterday, last week, in 2020, ago.

Past Continuous

• Form: Subject + was/were + V-ing.
• Use: Actions in progress. Example: I was reading when you called.
• Time expressions: at 5pm, while, when.

Difference

Example 1: I was watching TV when the phone rang. (interrupted action)

Example 2: While I was studying, my brother was playing. (parallel actions)

Exercises

1. Complete: I (study) when he (arrive).
2. Choose: She was reading/read when I saw her.
3. Write 3 sentences using both tenses.

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