Mẫu câu ví dụ về thì quá khứ tiếp diễn
Yesterday Tim and Tina played badminton. They started at 9 o’clock and finished at 11.30.
So, at 10.30 they were playing badminton.
=> Như vậy là tại thời điểm 10.30 là họ đang chơi cầu lông. Hành động chơi chưa dứt nhưng nó nằm ở trong quá khứ
Cấu trúc thì quá khứ tiếp diễn
Was/were + V-ing
l/he/she/it we/you/they | was were | playing doing working |
I was doing something = I was in the middle of doing something at a certain time.
The action or situation had already started before this time, but had not finished:

- This time last year I was living in Brazil.
- What were you doing at 10 o’clock last night?
- I waved to Helen, but she wasn’t looking.
So sánh quá khứ tiếp diễn và quá khứ đơn:
Quá khứ tiếp diễn (vị trí giữa trong quá khứ)
- I was walking home when I met Dan. (in the middle of walking home)
- Kate was watching TV when we arrived.
Quá khứ đơn (hành động diễn ra xong rồi)
- I walked home after the party last night. (= all the way, completely)
- Kate watched television a lot when she was ill last year.
We often use the past simple and the past continuous together to say that something happened in the middle of something else:
(Chúng ta thường sử dụng thì quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn cùng nhau để nói rằng một cái gì đó đã xảy ra ở giữa một cái gì đó khác)
- Matt phoned while we were having dinner.
- It was raining when I got up.
- I saw you in the park yesterday. You were sitting on the grass and reading a book. I hurt my back while I was working in the garden.
But we use the past simple to say that one thing happened after another:
(Nhưng chúng ta sử dụng quá khứ đơn để nói rằng điều này xảy ra sau điều khác)
- I was walking along the road when I saw Dan. So i stopped, and we had a chat.
So sánh:
When Karen arrived, we were having dinner. (= we had already started before she arrived)
When Karen arrived, we had dinner. (= Karen arrived, and then we had dinner)
Some verbs (for example, know and want) are not normally used in the continuous:
(Một số động từ (for example, know and want) thường không được sử dụng trong thì tiếp diễn)
- We were good friends. We knew each other well. (not We were knowing)
- I was enjoying the party, but Chris wanted to go home. (not was wanting)