Ce făceai ieri la ora opt?
Past Continuous arată o acțiune în desfășurare la un moment din trecut. Nu ne interesează când a început sau când s-a terminat, ci că era în curs:
At eight o'clock I was watching TV.
La ora opt mă uitam la televizor.
This time yesterday we were driving to the airport.
Ieri pe vremea asta conduceam spre aeroport.
Forma
was / were + verb cu -ing:
| Afirmativ | Negativ | Întrebare |
|---|---|---|
| I was working. | I wasn't working. | Was I working? |
| He / She / It was working. | She wasn't working. | Was she working? |
| We / You / They were working. | They weren't working. | Were they working? |
Răspunsurile scurte folosesc doar was / were:
Were you sleeping? Yes, I was.
Dormeai? Da.
Was it raining? No, it wasn't.
Ploua? Nu.
Când îl folosești
1. O acțiune în curs la un moment dat:
What were you doing at midnight?
Ce făceai la miezul nopții?
2. Fundalul unei povești: ce se întâmpla în jur când a început povestea:
It was a cold evening. The wind was blowing and people were hurrying home.
Era o seară rece. Bătea vântul și oamenii se grăbeau spre casă.
Verbe care nu stau la -ing
Ca și la prezent (Lecția 1), verbele de stare rămân la forma simplă: know, like, want, need, understand.
I didn't know the answer.
Nu știam răspunsul.