Level A2

Past Continuous vs Past Simple

I was walking home when I saw him.

I was walking home when I saw him. The walking was going on, and then I saw him.

Forms

• I walked home. — a whole action: I walked, and I got there
• I was walking home when I saw him. — the middle of the action: I was walking, and then something happened
• As kids, we walked to school. — a past habit, something that happened again and again: the simple form again

A common mistake

Wrong: As kids, we were walking to school.

Right: As kids, we walked to school.

A common mistake is the long form for a habit: As kids, we were walking to school. We say As kids, we walked to school.

More examples

She was cooking when the phone rang.

The middle again: She was cooking when the phone rang.

Last summer we visited my grandmother.

And a whole action: Last summer we visited my grandmother.