[Vysvětlení minulého času průběhového]
The Past Continuous is a verb tense used to talk about actions that were happening at a specific moment in the past. It helps us describe situations, activities, or events that were in progress during a certain time.
[Minulý čas průběhový je slovesný čas, který se používá k popisu dějů, které se odehrávaly v určitém okamžiku v minulosti. Pomáhá nám popsat situace, činnosti nebo události, které probíhaly v určitém čase.]
How to Form the Past Continuous
To form the Past Continuous, we use:
was/were + verb + -ing
- Was is used with singular subjects (I, he, she, it).
Example: I was reading a book. - Were is used with plural subjects (you, we, they).
Example: They were playing football.
When to Use the Past Continuous
- Actions in progress at a specific time in the past
- We use the Past Continuous to show that an action was happening during a particular moment in the past. [Minulý čas průběhový používáme k vyjádření toho, že se děj odehrával v určitém okamžiku v minulosti.]
Example: At 7 PM yesterday, I was cooking dinner.
- We use the Past Continuous to show that an action was happening during a particular moment in the past. [Minulý čas průběhový používáme k vyjádření toho, že se děj odehrával v určitém okamžiku v minulosti.]
- Two actions happening at the same time
- It’s useful when two things were happening at once in the past. [Je to užitečné, když se v minulosti děly dvě věci najednou.]
Example: While I was watching TV, my sister was studying.
- It’s useful when two things were happening at once in the past. [Je to užitečné, když se v minulosti děly dvě věci najednou.]
- Background descriptions
- Use it to set the scene or give background information for a story or situation. [Použití k nastolení scény nebo k poskytnutí informací o pozadí příběhu nebo situace.]
Example: The sun was shining, and the birds were singing.
- Use it to set the scene or give background information for a story or situation. [Použití k nastolení scény nebo k poskytnutí informací o pozadí příběhu nebo situace.]
- Interrupted actions
- The Past Continuous can describe an action that was interrupted by another action (which is in the Past Simple). [Minulý čas průběhový může popisovat děj, který byl přerušen jiným dějem (který je v minulém čase prostém).]
Example: I was walking to school when it started to rain.
- The Past Continuous can describe an action that was interrupted by another action (which is in the Past Simple). [Minulý čas průběhový může popisovat děj, který byl přerušen jiným dějem (který je v minulém čase prostém).]
Signal Words for the Past Continuous
Here are some common signal words:
- While
- When
- At that moment
- At [specific time]
Examples in Context
- When I called her, she was sleeping.
(The action of „sleeping“ was in progress when I called.) - They were having lunch while we were working.
(Two actions happening at the same time.) - At 10 o’clock, we were waiting for the bus.
(The action of „waiting“ was happening at that moment.)
Practice Tip
Let’s try to describe what happened yesterday at a certain time! [Zkusme popsat, co se stalo včera v určitou dobu!]
For example:
- At 6 PM, I was watching a movie.
- While I was studying, my dog was sleeping.
The Past Continuous is a great way to make your stories and descriptions more vivid. [Minulý čas průběhový je skvělý způsob, jak oživit příběhy a popisy.]