Прошедшее продолженное время (The Past Continuous / Past Progressive)
The Past Continuous tense (also known as the Past Progressive) is used to describe actions that were in progress at a specific moment or over a period in the past. It emphasizes the ongoing nature of an action rather than its completion.
Образование Past Continuous
The Past Continuous is formed using the auxiliary verb "to be" in the past simple form (was / were) and the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.
1. Утвердительные предложения
| Лицо / Число | Вспомогательный глагол (to be в прошедшем времени) | Основной глагол (to work) (V-ing) | Пример |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | was | working | I was working. |
| You | were | working | You were working. |
| He / She / It | was | working | He was working. |
| We | were | working | We were working. |
| You | were | working | You were working. |
| They | were | working | They were working. |
2. Отрицательные предложения
To form negative sentences, we place 'not' after the auxiliary verb "to be" (was / were).
| Лицо / Число | Вспомогательный глагол (to be) + not | Основной глагол (to work) (V-ing) | Пример |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | was not / wasn't | working | I was not working. / I wasn't working. |
| You | were not / weren't | working | You were not working. / You weren't working. |
| He / She / It | was not / wasn't | working | He was not working. / He wasn't working. |
| We | were not / weren't | working | We were not working. / We weren't working. |
| You | were not / weren't | working | You were not working. / You weren't working. |
| They | were not / weren't | working | They were not working. / They weren't working. |
- Пример: She wasn't listening to music.
- Пример: We were not waiting for you.
3. Вопросительные предложения (Вопросы)
To form questions, we invert the subject and the auxiliary verb "to be" (was / were).
| Вспомогательный глагол (to be) | Подлежащее | Основной глагол (to work) (V-ing) | Пример |
|---|---|---|---|
| Was | I | working? | Was I working? |
| Were | you | working? | Were you working? |
| Was | he / she / it | working? | Was he working? |
| Were | we | working? | Were we working? |
| Were | you | working? | Were you working? |
| Were | they | working? | Were they working? |
- Пример: Were you sleeping when I called?
- Пример: Was she living in London at that time?
- Пример: What were you doing at 3 PM yesterday? (для Wh-вопросов)
Использование Past Continuous
Past Continuous используется для выражения:
- Действия, происходившие в определенный момент в прошлом: Оно указывает, что действие продолжалось в определенный момент времени. Конкретное время часто упоминается.
- I was studying at 8 PM yesterday.
- What were you doing this morning?
- At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
- Действия, прерванные другим действием: Более длительное действие в Past Continuous прерывается более коротким, завершенным действием в Past Simple. When и while часто используются здесь.
- She was sleeping when the phone rang.
- While I was cooking, he arrived.
- The power went out while we were watching TV.
- Параллельные действия в прошлом: Два или более действий, происходивших одновременно в прошлом.
- While I was cooking, he was watching TV.
- They were talking while the children were playing.
- She was listening to music and working on her computer.
- Для описания атмосферы или фона в истории: Задает сцену для повествования, описывая продолжающиеся действия, которые формируют контекст для основных событий.
- The birds were singing, and the sun was shining as she walked through the park.
- Everyone was laughing and dancing at the party.
- С always, constantly, forever для описания раздражающих прошлых привычек: Аналогично Present Continuous для выражения раздражения, но относится к прошлому.
- He was always complaining about his job.
- They were constantly arguing about money.
Past Continuous против Past Simple
Крайне важно понимать разницу между Past Simple и Past Continuous:
- Past Simple (Простое прошедшее): Описывает **завершенное действие** в **определенный момент в прошлом**. Основное внимание уделяется завершению действия.
- I read a book yesterday. (Действие чтения завершено.)
- Past Continuous (Прошедшее длительное): Описывает **продолжающееся действие** в прошлом. Основное внимание уделяется **длительности** или тому, что действие было прервано или служило фоном для другого события.
- I was reading a book when you called. (Чтение было в процессе, когда звонок прервал его.)
Эффективное использование Past Continuous помогает вам описывать динамичный и продолжающийся характер прошлых событий, предоставляя более богатые детали в ваших повествованиях.