Pasado Continuo: ¡La Guía Definitiva!
¿Quieres describir una acción en progreso en el pasado? El Pasado Continuo es tu herramienta perfecta. Este tiempo verbal te permite crear un escenario y contar historias, mostrando qué estaba ocurriendo cuando un evento posterior lo interrumpió o cuando otra acción sucedía simultáneamente. Es la clave para dar profundidad a tus narraciones.
La estructura es sencilla y poderosa: el pasado del verbo to be (was o were) combinado con el verbo principal en su forma -ing. Es fundamental conocer las reglas de ortografía para añadir el -ing correctamente.
10 Ejemplos de Pasado Continuo
He was waiting for you.
They were reading a book.
You were traveling to Quito.
I was studying when the doorbell rang.
The sun was shining brightly at 10 AM.
She was cooking dinner while he was watching TV.
We were having a great time at the party.
The children were sleeping when I got home.
He was talking on the phone for an hour.
They were preparing for their presentation all morning.
Usos clave del Pasado Continuo
Acción interrumpida
Describe una acción que estaba en progreso en el pasado cuando otra acción más corta la interrumpió. La acción en progreso usa el pasado continuo y la que interrumpe usa el pasado simple.
Momento concreto en el pasado
Se usa para hablar de acciones que estaban ocurriendo en un momento específico en el pasado, como "at 8 PM" o "yesterday morning".
Dos acciones simultáneas
Para describir dos acciones que estaban sucediendo al mismo tiempo en el pasado, a menudo conectadas por palabras como "while" o "as".
Forma afirmativa
Estructura: Sujeto + was/were + Verbo-ing + Complemento
Recuerda usar was para I, he, she, it y were para you, we, they.
He was going to the school when it started to rain.
We were spending money when I saw a beautiful house.
They were drinking beer while they were talking.
I was preparing the presentation all morning.
She was playing the piano at 4 o'clock yesterday.
The dog was barking loudly while I was sleeping.
You were waiting for the bus for an hour.
The chef was cooking a delicious meal.
He was driving a new car when the police stopped him.
The children were doing their homework when their mother arrived.
Forma negativa
Estructura: Sujeto + was/were not + Verbo-ing + Complemento
Las contracciones más comunes son wasn't y weren't.
I was not building a house in 2020.
He wasn’t listening to me when I told him.
They weren’t running in the park last month.
We weren't watching that movie yesterday.
She wasn't sleeping when you called her.
I was not feeling well yesterday afternoon.
You weren't cooking a big meal, just a snack.
The children weren't doing their homework.
He wasn't talking about that topic.
It was not raining when we left the house.
Preguntas
Estructura: Was/Were + Sujeto + Verbo-ing + Complemento?
El verbo to be se coloca al principio de la frase. El verbo principal está en su forma -ing.
Was he driving a new car?
Were you doing the dishes?
Where was the cat sleeping?
Were they watching TV last night?
Why was he running so fast?
Was she talking on the phone?
What were you doing at 8 PM?
Was the sun shining when you woke up?
When were they leaving?
Was the baby crying all night?
Verbos de Estado (Stative Verbs)
Es importante recordar que los verbos de estado, que expresan sensaciones, percepciones o posesiones, generalmente no se usan en la forma continua. Por ejemplo, en lugar de decir "He was knowing the answer", lo correcto es "He knew the answer".
- Ejemplos: know, love, hate, like, want, need, believe, own, seem, remember.
En resumen
Aquí puedes ver un resumen rápido de las estructuras clave del Pasado Continuo.
Forma Afirmativa
Sujeto + was/were + verbo-ing
He was going to school.
Forma Negativa
Sujeto + was/were not + verbo-ing
They weren't running.
Preguntas
Was/Were + Sujeto + verbo-ing?
Was he driving?
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