Grammar reference

Unit 4 Pasado simple y pasado continuo

• Se utiliza el pasado continuo para hablar de una
Pasado continuo: afirmativa, negativa e
acción continuada que se está produciendo en el
interrogativa
pasado. El pasado simple se utiliza para hablar de
afirmativa negativa una acción puntual que interrumpe otra acción
continuada. Normalmente se utiliza when antes del
I was reading. I wasn’t working.
pasado simple y while antes del pasado continuo.
He / She / It was reading. He / She / It wasn’t working. I was talking to my mum when I heard the news.
We / You / They were We / You / They weren’t Estaba hablando con mi madre cuando oí las
reading. working. noticias.
I heard the news while I was talking to my mum.
(partícula be sujeto verbo +
interrogativa) ing
Oí las noticias mientras estaba hablando con mi
madre.
– Was I running?
could/couldn’t
– Was he / she / it falling?
– Were we jumping? afirmativa negativa
– Were you watching? I / You / He / I / You / He /
could swim couldn’t use
– Were they playing? She / It / We / She / It / We /
50 metres. a computer.
You / They You / They
What were you climbing?
Who was she chasing? interrogativa respuestas cortas
respuestas cortas afirmativa negativa
I was. I wasn’t. Could I / you /
Yes, I / you / he / No, I / you / he /
he / she / it /
Yes, he / she / it was. No, he / she / it wasn’t. she / it / we / you / she / it / we / you /
we / you / they
we / you / they were. we / you / they weren’t. they could. they couldn’t.
use a computer?
• Se utiliza el pasado continuo para hablar de una • Se utiliza could/couldn’t para hablar de la capacidad
acción continuada que se está produciendo en el y la posibilidad en pasado.
pasado. Las frases afirmativas se forman con sujeto + When I was five I could swim 20 metres.
was/were + verbo + -ing.
Cuando tenía cinco años podía nadar 20 metros.
He was running to school. Corría hacia el colegio.
He couldn’t call earlier because he was in a meeting.
• Para formar el negativo, se pone n’t (not) después de
was/were y antes del verbo + -ing. Normalmente No pudo llamar antes porque estaba en una
not se contrae. reunión.
They weren’t walking quickly. No caminaban deprisa. • Could tiene siempre la misma forma. La tercera
• En las preguntas se utiliza was/were + sujeto + persona (he/she/it) no termina en -s.
verbo + -ing. He couldn’t speak three languages.
Were you watching TV in bed last night? No sabía hablar tres idiomas.
¿Estabas mirando la tele en la cama, anoche? • Para formular preguntas se cambia el orden de las
• En las respuestas cortas no se utiliza verbo + -ing. palabras.
Yes, he was. (x Yes, he was talking.) Sí. Could you speak English at the age of five?
• Para formular preguntas se pone la partícula ¿Cuando tenías cinco años sabías hablar inglés?
interrogativa de tipo Wh- antes de be.
What were you doing at 8 pm yesterday?
¿Qué hacías ayer a las 8 de la tarde?

108 Grammar reference

Grammar practice 4
Past continuous: affirmative, 5 ?
, .
negative and questions 6 ?
1 Complete the sentences with the past , .
continuous form of the verbs in the box.
Past simple and past
cook drink read steal talk watch
continuous
At 3 pm yesterday afternoon … 5 Complete the sentences with the past simple
1 Peter was reading a book. or the past continuous. Use the verbs in
2 Julia on the phone. brackets.
3 Jason and Angie dinner. 1 I was reading (read) in bed when I heard
4 we TV. (hear) a loud noise in the street.
5 I a cup of tea. 2 No one (watch) when the burglars
6 the thieves the diamonds. (break) into the bank.
3 The diamonds (disappear) while the
2 Complete the sentences with the negative form guards (have) lunch.
of the past continuous. Use contractions. 4 While we (watch) TV, the alarm
1 Peter wasn’t playing football. (not play) (go) off.
2 Julia emails. (not write) 5 While we (look) out of the window,
3 Jason and Angie in the garden. (not sit) police officers (enter) the bank.
4 We our bikes. (not ride) 6 The burglars (count) their money
5 I a sandwich. (not eat) when the police (catch) them.
6 The thieves any noise. (not make)
could/couldn’t
3 Write questions with the past continuous.
1 What were you doing ? (you / do)
6 Complete the sentences with could or
couldn’t and the verb in brackets.
2 Where ? (they / go)
1 I could speak French when I was five. (speak)
3 Who ? (she / talk to)
2 She because she was afraid of
4 Why ? (he / leave)
water. (not swim)
5 Where ? (Jacky / sit)
3 Sam all of the ex-American
6 What ? (your friends / presidents in primary school. (name)
watch)
4 Tony the piano when he was six.
(play)
4 Write questions and short answers about what
5 We because he spoke very quietly.
Jessica, Luke, Nina and Luis were doing at 5 pm
(not hear)
yesterday.
6 Lyn a bike when you she was a
Jessica Luke and Nina Luis child. (not ride)
watch TV ✗ ✓ ✗
do homework ✓ ✗ ✓

1 Was Jessica watching TV ?

No , she wasn’t .
2 ?
, .
3 ?
, .
4 ?
, .

Grammar practice 109