Structure du Past Continuous
Subject + was/were + Verb + ing
S + was/were + V-ing (passé progressif)
Structure affirmative :
• I/He/She/It + was + verb + ing
• You/We/They + were + verb + ing
• Ex: I was working, They were playing
• I/He/She/It + was + verb + ing
• You/We/They + were + verb + ing
• Ex: I was working, They were playing
Structure négative :
• Subject + wasn't/weren't + verb + ing
• Ex: I wasn't working, They weren't playing
• Subject + wasn't/weren't + verb + ing
• Ex: I wasn't working, They weren't playing
Structure interrogative :
• Was/Were + subject + verb + ing?
• Ex: Were you working? Was she playing?
• Was/Were + subject + verb + ing?
• Ex: Were you working? Was she playing?
Usages Principaux
1. Actions en cours :
• Actions qui étaient en train de se dérouler à un moment précis
• Ex: I was reading when you called
• Ex: She was cooking dinner at 6 PM
• Actions qui étaient en train de se dérouler à un moment précis
• Ex: I was reading when you called
• Ex: She was cooking dinner at 6 PM
2. Deux actions simultanées :
• Quand deux actions se déroulaient en même temps
• Ex: While I was studying, she was watching TV
• Quand deux actions se déroulaient en même temps
• Ex: While I was studying, she was watching TV
3. Contexte / Ambiance :
• Pour créer une atmosphère dans une narration
• Ex: It was raining and people were hurrying
• Pour créer une atmosphère dans une narration
• Ex: It was raining and people were hurrying
Mots indicateurs :
• while, when, at that time
• at 6 o'clock, all morning/evening
• while I was..., when he was...
• at 6 o'clock, all morning/evening
• while I was..., when he was...
Comparaison avec Past Simple
Past Simple
• Action terminée
• I visited Paris
• She finished homework
• Action terminée
• I visited Paris
• She finished homework
Past Continuous
• Action en cours
• I was visiting Paris
• She was finishing homework
• Action en cours
• I was visiting Paris
• She was finishing homework
Exemples de phrases
Affirmative :
• I was studying
• They were talking
• She was sleeping
• They were talking
• She was sleeping
Négative :
• I wasn't studying
• They weren't talking
• She wasn't sleeping
• They weren't talking
• She wasn't sleeping
Interrogative :
• Were you studying?
• Were they talking?
• Was she sleeping?
• Were they talking?
• Was she sleeping?
Conseils & Astuces
Actions en cours au passé
Souvent avec "while" ou "when"
Pour décrire le contexte
Deux actions simultanées
Durée continue dans le passé
