In brief …
Le Past Continuous (prétérit BE V.ing)
Formation
Forme affirmative
sujet |
Aux. Be |
Base verbale + ing |
reste de la phrase |
They |
were |
having |
breakfast. |
Forme interrogative
Aux. Be |
sujet |
Base verbale + ing |
reste de la phrase |
Were |
they |
having |
breakfast? |
Forme négative
sujet |
Aux. Be |
Base verbale + ing |
reste de la phrase |
They |
were not |
having |
breakfast. |
Emploi
On utilise le préterit Be V.ing (encore nommé Past continuous) pour parler de quelque chose qui se déroulait (durait depuis un certain temps) dans le passé et qui souvent a été interrompu par un évènement quelconque (qui lui sera exprimé au simple past)
- I was reading the newspaper when the telephone rang.
- The twins were playing in their room when their mother opened the door.