3. Paco didn't expect Sonia's call (simple or continuous?)
Caso práctico
Try to identify a sentence in the text to express that the actions in the past happened one after another and, secondly, find a sentence in past progressive expressing that the actions in the past happened at the same time.
![]() |
Imagen de tpsdave en Pixabay. Licencia CC |
Before traveling to Brighton, Paco thought of the Lanes as the area of narrow streets full of shops and restaurants in the heart of the town. Well, this is true, but it is also the oldest part of town, dating back centuries to the time when the village of Brighthelmstone consisted of a maze of streets bounded by North Street, South Street, East Street and West Street.
When Paco was visiting this area, he was mora and more amazed by some notices he could read on the walls of some old houses: the market, the monastic farm, the poorhouse, the fishermen's cottages, ...
While Paco was walking along The Lanes he was thinking about going to one of the multiple live musical events that took place in town.
So he stopped for a while, chose one of the pubs and sat down to enjoy a live concert with a drink.
Ejercicio Resuelto
Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses: Simple Past or Past Continuous.
1. Paco (walk) __________ down the street when he (find) __________ a wallet full of money.
2. The doctor (say) __________ that Antonio (be) __________ too sick to go to work and that he (need) __________ to stay at home for a couple of days.
3. A: I (call) __________ you last night after dinner, but you (be, not) __________ there. Where were you?
B: I (work) __________ out at the fitness center.
4. I (watch) __________ a mystery movie on TV when the electricity (go out) __________. Now I am never going to find out how the movie ends.
5. The Titanic (cross) __________ the Atlantic when it (strike) __________ an iceberg.
Comprueba lo aprendido
Read the paragraph below and complete it with the verbs in brackets either in Past Simple or Past Progressive (Continuous) when needed.
Reflexiona
There are two main past tenses used to make general statements about the past: The Past Simple and the Past Continuous. The two tenses are quite different.
Para saber más
A very good explanation to distinguish Simple Past and Past Continuous.
Past simple versus past continuous. An easy explanation.