Past Progressive (atau Past Continuous) digunakan untuk menggambarkan aksi yang sedang berlangsung pada waktu tertentu di masa lalu.
Tense ini sering digunakan untuk menjelaskan:
- aktivitas yang sedang terjadi di masa lalu
- dua aktivitas yang terjadi bersamaan
- aktivitas yang terganggu oleh kejadian lain
Struktur dasar:
was / were + verb-ing
Contoh:
- She was reading a book.
- They were playing football.
Use of the Past Progressive
Past Progressive digunakan dalam beberapa situasi berikut.
1. Actions in Progress at a Specific Time in the Past
Digunakan untuk aktivitas yang sedang berlangsung pada waktu tertentu di masa lalu.
Contoh:
Peter was reading a book yesterday evening.
Artinya: Kemarin malam Peter sedang membaca buku.
2. Two Actions Happening at the Same Time
Past Progressive juga digunakan untuk menjelaskan dua aktivitas yang terjadi bersamaan di masa lalu.
Biasanya menggunakan while.
Contoh:
Anne was writing a letter while Steve was reading the New York Times.
3. Past Progressive with Simple Past
Past Progressive sering digunakan bersama Simple Past untuk menjelaskan bahwa suatu aksi sedang berlangsung ketika aksi lain terjadi.
Contoh:
While we were sitting at the breakfast table, the telephone rang.
Penjelasan:
- were sitting → aktivitas yang sedang berlangsung
- rang → kejadian yang terjadi tiba-tiba
4. Repeated Actions that Irritate the Speaker
Past Progressive juga dapat digunakan untuk menggambarkan kebiasaan yang berulang di masa lalu yang mengganggu atau menjengkelkan pembicara.
Biasanya menggunakan kata:
- always
- constantly
- forever
Contoh:
Andrew was always coming late.
Artinya: Andrew selalu datang terlambat (dan itu menjengkelkan).
Signal Words
Beberapa kata yang sering muncul bersama Past Progressive:
- while
Contoh:
While she was cooking, he was watching TV.
Form of the Past Progressive
Past Progressive dibentuk dengan pola berikut:
was / were + verb-ing
Aturan penggunaan:
- was → I, he, she, it
- were → you, we, they
Affirmative Sentences
| Pronoun | Long Form |
|---|---|
| I | I was playing football |
| You | You were playing football |
| He / She / It | He was playing football |
| We | We were playing football |
| They | They were playing football |
Contoh:
She was studying all evening.
Negative Sentences
| Long Form | Contracted Form |
|---|---|
| I was not playing football | I wasn’t playing football |
| You were not playing football | You weren’t playing football |
| He was not playing football | He wasn’t playing football |
Contoh:
They weren't watching TV.
Questions in the Past Progressive
Pertanyaan dibentuk dengan menempatkan was / were sebelum subject.
| Question |
|---|
| Was I playing football? |
| Were you playing football? |
| Was he playing football? |
Contoh:
Were they studying yesterday?