Le Past Continuous (Passé continu)
Le temps pour décrire ce qui était en train de se passer à un moment précis du passé.
🎯 Quand utiliser le Past Continuous ?
1. Action en cours à un moment précis
At 8 pm, I was watching TV.
→ À 20h, je regardais la télé.
2. Action interrompue par une autre
I was sleeping when the phone rang.
→ Je dormais quand le téléphone a sonné.
3. Deux actions simultanées
While she was cooking, he was reading.
→ Pendant qu'elle cuisinait, il lisait.
4. Contexte / Décor d'une histoire
The sun was shining. Birds were singing.
→ Le soleil brillait. Les oiseaux chantaient.
1Formation : WAS/WERE + V-ING
Sujet + WAS/WERE + Verbe-ING
| Sujet | WAS/WERE | V-ING | Traduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | was | working | Je travaillais |
| You | were | working | Tu travaillais |
| He/She/It | was | working | Il/Elle travaillait |
| We | were | working | Nous travaillions |
| They | were | working | Ils travaillaient |
💡 Rappel : WAS vs WERE
WAS
I, he, she, it
WERE
you, we, they
2Forme négative
Sujet + WAS/WERE + NOT + V-ING
- I wasn't sleeping. → Je ne dormais pas.
- They weren't listening. → Ils n'écoutaient pas.
- She wasn't working yesterday. → Elle ne travaillait pas hier.
3Questions
WAS/WERE + Sujet + V-ING ?
Questions fermées
- Were you sleeping? → Tu dormais ?
- Was she working? → Elle travaillait ?
Questions ouvertes
- What were you doing? → Que faisais-tu ?
- Where was he going? → Où allait-il ?
4Past Simple vs Past Continuous
| Past Simple | Past Continuous |
|---|---|
Action courte, terminée The phone rang. | Action longue, en cours I was sleeping. |
Combinés : I was sleeping (longue) when the phone rang (courte). | |
🔑 Mots-clés typiques
WHEN + Past Simple (action courte qui interrompt)
WHILE + Past Continuous (action longue en cours)
While I was walking, I saw a cat. → Pendant que je marchais, j'ai vu un chat.
📌 Résumé : Past Continuous
✅ Affirmatif
I/He/She/It + was + V-ing
You/We/They + were + V-ing
❌ Négatif
wasn't / weren't + V-ing
❓ Question
Was/Were + S + V-ing?
