PAST SIMPLE AND PAST CONTINUOUS

- ACTION IN PROGRESS OR COMPLETE?

At 8:00 Helen left home

At 8:15 ?

At 8:30 Helen arrived to school

- What did she do at 8?

- What did she do at 8:3?

She left home.

She arrived to school.

PAST SIMPLE

PAST SIMPLE

What was she doing at 8:15?
She was going to school.

PAST CONTINUOUS

- TWO PAST ACTIONS IN THE SAME SENTENCE

they were having dinner

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.

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John arrived

- Which is the first action?
They were having dinner
- Which is the second action?
John arrived
- Which actions interrupts?
The second action

- CONNECTORS: WHEN / WHILE

When combining two past actions (simple and continuous) in the same sentence, you can add the
connector when or while. When do we use each one.

WHEN

WHILE

(cuando)

(mientras)

CAN INTRODUCE

PAST SIMPLE OR
PAST CONTINUOUS

PAST CONTINUOUS

ACTION

ACTION

-When John arrived, they were having dinner.

While they were having dinner,

- When they were having dinner, John arrived.

John arrived.

PAST SIMPLE AND PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

- DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PAST SIMPLE/PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

At 7.30 the film started

At 7.30 the film had started

_________.___________

__________.__________

7.30

7.30

- What time did the film starte in sentence 1?
It started at 7.30
- Did the film start at 7.30 in sentence 2?
No. It had started before 7.30

We use PAST PERFECT SIMPLE to talk about actions that
happend BEFORE than other action in the PAST

USED TO

I played tennis

I don't play tennis now.

when I was young.

I used to play tennis when I was young.

- In which sentence did you play tennis?
Sentence 1
- Do you play tennis now?
No

We use USED TO to talk about PAST actions that we
DON'T do in the PRESENT. We use the auxiliary
DID/DIDN'T (negative/interrogative)