Practice
Past tense: types and examples
On Monday, Jo missed the bus. At 8:10, she was waiting at the stop. By 8:15, the bus had already left. Each verb looks back, but each one gives a different view of the past.
Choose a past tense that shows whether an action was finished, in progress, earlier than another past event, or continuing before that event.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
had been working /hæd bɪn ˈwɜrkɪŋ/
The short answer
Use past simple for a finished event, past continuous for an activity in progress, past perfect for an earlier past event, and past perfect continuous for an activity that had been continuing before a past point.
When I arrived, Marta was making coffee because she had started work early.
Why it works: Was making was in progress at my arrival. Had started happened before that arrival.
5 more examples
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Nadia called her brother after dinner.
The call is a completed event in the past.
Not this:Nadia
was callingher brother when the battery died. What changes: The call was in progress when another event interrupted it. -
At noon, the children were playing in the yard.
The activity was happening at a particular past time.
Not this:The children
playedin the yard after lunch. What changes: This sentence presents the activity as complete. -
The store had closed before we reached the street.
Closing happened before our arrival at the street.
Not this:The store
closedat six, and we reached the street at seven. What changes: The stated times already make the order clear, so past simple works. -
He had been studying for two hours before the exam began.
The phrase focuses on the activity and its duration before the exam.
Not this:He
had studiedthe chapter before the exam began. What changes: This version focuses on completing the chapter rather than the ongoing activity. -
I was driving home when I saw the message.
Driving forms the background activity; saw is the shorter event that happened during it.
Not this:I
drovehome after I saw the message. What changes: Here, the drive begins after the message, so both actions are complete events.
Read the full guide
Find the reference time first. It may be a stated time such as yesterday, another past event such as when the phone rang, or a result seen later in the past. Then ask whether the action was complete, in progress, or already finished before that reference time. This check gives you a more reliable answer than trying to memorize a long list of signal words.
Use past simple for completed events
Past simple is the ordinary choice for an action or state that ended in the past. It often tells the main events in a story. Use the regular -ed form where appropriate, or the correct irregular past form.
We met the new manager last Thursday.
The meeting is complete, and last Thursday is a finished time.
Complete the sentence: Last night, the guests ___ early.
Use left: Last night, the guests left early.
Use past continuous for an activity in progress
Build past continuous with was or were plus an -ing form. Use it when you want the reader to see an action happening at a particular moment in the past, often as background for another event.
I was reading near the window when the power went out.
Was reading shows the ongoing activity. Went out names the event that happened during it.
Choose the form for an action in progress: At nine, they ___ dinner.
Use were having: At nine, they were having dinner.
Use past perfect for the earlier past event
Past perfect uses had plus a past participle. It tells the reader that one event was already complete before a later moment in the past. The later event can use past simple.
By the time the doctor arrived, the patient had fallen asleep.
Had fallen asleep happened first. The doctor's arrival happened later.
Complete the sentence: The film ___ before we found our seats.
Use had started: The film had started before we found our seats.
Use past perfect continuous when duration matters
Past perfect continuous uses had been plus an -ing form. It looks back from a past point and shows an activity that continued for some time before that point. It often explains a past result.
Her shoes were wet because she had been walking in the rain.
The walking continued before the time when someone noticed the wet shoes.
Choose the form that stresses duration: They were tired because they ___ all morning.
Use had been traveling: They were tired because they had been traveling all morning.
Choose the tense from the time relationship
A time word can help, but the relationship between events is more important. When while introduces a background activity, past continuous is common. When before or by the time shows an earlier event, past perfect may make the order clear. Check whether the sentence needs a finished event, an ongoing scene, or a step farther back.
While I was looking for a taxi, the rain started.
Was looking creates the background. Started is the new completed event.
Choose the earlier action: By noon, the team ___ the problem.
Use had solved: By noon, the team had solved the problem.
Before you go
Remember this
Start with the past reference time. Use past simple for finished events and past continuous for an activity in progress. Use past perfect when an event was already complete before another past point. Use past perfect continuous when you want to show an earlier activity and its duration.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Past tense: types and examples"
What are the main past tenses in English?
The four common forms are past simple, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous. They all refer to the past, but they show different time relationships and different views of the action.
Nadia called her brother after dinner.
When should I use past simple?
Use past simple for an event, state, or habit that is complete in the past. It is common with finished times such as yesterday, last year, or in 2022, and it often carries the main events in a story.
Nadia was calling her brother when the battery died.
What is the difference between past simple and past continuous?
Past simple presents an event as complete. Past continuous presents an action as in progress at a past time. In one sentence, past continuous can describe the background while past simple names the event that happened during it.
At noon, the children were playing in the yard.
When do I need past perfect?
Use past perfect when you need to make clear that one action was already complete before another point in the past. Form it with had and a past participle, such as had finished or had gone.
The children played in the yard after lunch.
What does past perfect continuous add?
Past perfect continuous focuses on an activity that had continued before a later past point. It often makes duration or a past cause clear. Form it with had been and an -ing verb form.
The store had closed before we reached the street.