Día 183 · Pasado continuo — introducción (was / were + -ing)
⏱️ Duración total: ~3 h 15 min — Clase 60 min · Ejercicios 60 min · Reto 60 min · Quiz ~15 min. Puedes dividirlo en varias sesiones el mismo día.
🎯 Objetivo del día
- Al terminar conocerás la forma del pasado continuo (past continuous): was / were + verbo-ing.
- Entenderás su uso principal: una acción en progreso en un momento del pasado.
- Formarás frases afirmativas y negativas con was / were.
- Aplicarás bien la regla de la terminación -ing (spelling).
- Empezarás a sentir la diferencia con el pasado simple (acción completa vs. acción en curso).
📖 Clase (60 min)
Introducción y contexto
Llevas varias semanas dominando el pasado (pasado simple regular e irregular, presente perfecto). Hoy abrimos un tiempo nuevo que va a transformar tu forma de narrar: el pasado continuo o past continuous (también llamado past progressive).
Imagina que alguien te pregunta: "¿Qué hacías ayer a las ocho de la tarde?". No te interesa decir una acción terminada ("cené"), sino una acción en pleno desarrollo en ese instante: "Estaba cenando". Esa es exactamente la función del pasado continuo. En español lo expresamos con estaba + gerundio ("estaba comiendo", "estábamos viendo la tele"). En inglés es was / were + verbo terminado en -ing.
El pasado continuo es la columna vertebral de cualquier historia o anécdota: describe el fondo de la escena ("Llovía, la gente caminaba rápido, yo esperaba el autobús…") mientras que el pasado simple cuenta los hechos puntuales que ocurren sobre ese fondo. Esta semana entera gira en torno a contar historias, así que hoy ponemos la primera piedra: la forma y el uso básico. Mañana añadiremos when y while para conectar dos acciones.
Explicación detallada (regla por regla)
Regla 1 — Forma afirmativa: sujeto + was / were + verbo-ing.
El verbo to be en pasado cambia según el sujeto:
- I / He / She / It → was
- You / We / They → were
Ejemplos:
- I was working at 9 p.m. → Yo estaba trabajando a las 9 de la noche.
- She was sleeping. → Ella estaba durmiendo.
- We were watching a film. → Estábamos viendo una película.
- They were playing football. → Estaban jugando al fútbol.
Regla 2 — Forma negativa: was not / were not + verbo-ing.
- Contracciones: wasn't = was not · weren't = were not.
- I wasn't listening. → No estaba escuchando.
- He wasn't studying. → Él no estaba estudiando.
- They weren't sleeping. → No estaban durmiendo.
Regla 3 — Uso 1: acción en progreso en un momento concreto del pasado.
Marcadores típicos: at 7 o'clock, at that moment, then, all morning, yesterday at noon.
- At 8 p.m. I was having dinner. → A las 8 estaba cenando.
- This time yesterday we were travelling. → A esta hora ayer estábamos viajando.
- All morning it was raining. → Toda la mañana estuvo lloviendo.
Regla 4 — Uso 2: dos acciones largas paralelas en el pasado.
- While I was cooking, she was studying. → Mientras yo cocinaba, ella estudiaba.
Regla 5 — Uso 3: descripción/atmósfera al narrar.
- The sun was shining, birds were singing, and people were smiling. → El sol brillaba, los pájaros cantaban y la gente sonreía.
Regla 6 — Verbos de estado (state verbs) NO van en continuo.
Verbos como know, like, want, need, believe, love, hate no se usan normalmente en forma -ing:
- ✗ I was knowing the answer. → ✓ I knew the answer.
Vocabulario clave
| English | Pronunciación aprox. | Español |
|---|---|---|
| was working | uos uérking | estaba trabajando |
| were sleeping | uer slíiping | estaban durmiendo |
| was raining | uos réining | estaba lloviendo |
| at that moment | at dat móument | en ese momento |
| this time yesterday | dis táim yésterdei | a esta hora ayer |
| all morning | ol mórning | toda la mañana |
| meanwhile | míinuail | mientras tanto |
| background | bákgraund | fondo (de una escena) |
| scene | siin | escena |
| anecdote | ánecdout | anécdota |
| was cooking | uos kúking | estaba cocinando |
| were waiting | uer uéiting | estaban esperando |
| was driving | uos dráiving | estaba conduciendo |
| were laughing | uer láfing | estaban riendo |
| was reading | uos ríiding | estaba leyendo |
| in progress | in prógres | en curso / en progreso |
Gramática a fondo
| Forma | Estructura | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Afirmativo (yo/él/ella/ello) | was + verbo-ing | She was reading. |
| Afirmativo (tú/nosotros/ellos) | were + verbo-ing | We were reading. |
| Negativo | wasn't / weren't + verbo-ing | I wasn't reading. |
Reglas de spelling de la terminación -ing:
| Caso | Regla | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Verbo normal | + -ing | work → working |
| Termina en -e muda | quita -e + -ing | drive → driving |
| 1 sílaba: cons.+vocal+cons. | dobla la consonante | run → running, sit → sitting |
| Termina en -ie | -ie → -ying | lie → lying, die → dying |
Pronunciación y notas de uso
- was se pronuncia débil /wəz/ en la frase, fuerte /wɒz/ solo si va aislado o enfático.
- were débil /wə(r)/: "We were eating" suena casi /wi wə íiting/.
- wasn't /ˈwɒznt/, weren't /wɜːnt/: practica la negación, es muy frecuente al narrar.
- La terminación -ing nunca lleva sonido /g/ fuerte español: es nasal /ŋ/, "wor-king" suena suave al final.
Errores comunes del hispanohablante
- ✗ I was work at 8. → ✓ I was working at 8. (falta -ing)
- ✗ We was watching TV. → ✓ We were watching TV. (we → were)
- ✗ She were sleeping. → ✓ She was sleeping. (she → was)
- ✗ They was playing. → ✓ They were playing.
- ✗ I was runing. → ✓ I was running. (dobla la consonante)
- ✗ I was knowing it. → ✓ I knew it. (verbo de estado, no continuo)
Mini-diálogo de ejemplo
A: What were you doing at 9 last night? (¿Qué estabas haciendo a las 9 anoche?) B: I was watching a film with my brother. (Estaba viendo una película con mi hermano.) A: Nice. I was studying for my exam — it was raining outside. (Qué bien. Yo estaba estudiando para mi examen; estaba lloviendo fuera.) B: My parents weren't sleeping either; they were talking in the kitchen. (Mis padres tampoco estaban durmiendo; estaban hablando en la cocina.) A: So nobody was sleeping in your house! (¡Así que nadie estaba durmiendo en tu casa!)
✍️ Ejercicios (60 min)
Bloque 1 — was o were (8 min)
- I ___ reading. 2. They ___ playing. 3. She ___ cooking. 4. We ___ talking. 5. He ___ driving. 6. You ___ waiting.
Bloque 2 — Forma el pasado continuo (12 min)
- I ___ (work) at 8 p.m. 2. They ___ (not / sleep). 3. She ___ (run) in the park. 4. We ___ (watch) TV. 5. He ___ (not / study). 6. The kids ___ (play) outside.
Bloque 3 — Escribe el -ing correcto (8 min)
- run · 2. drive · 3. sit · 4. lie · 5. write · 6. swim
Bloque 4 — Traducción Español → Inglés (12 min)
- Yo estaba trabajando a las 9. 2. Ella no estaba durmiendo. 3. Estábamos viendo una película. 4. Estaba lloviendo. 5. Ellos estaban jugando al fútbol. 6. Tú no estabas escuchando.
Bloque 5 — Corrige los errores (8 min)
- We was watching TV. 2. She were sleeping. 3. I was work at 8. 4. They was playing. 5. I was runing.
Bloque 6 — Ordena las palabras (6 min)
- was / I / dinner / having / at 8 2. were / they / not / sleeping 3. raining / it / was / morning / all
Bloque 7 — Producción escrita (6 min)
Escribe 6 frases sobre lo que estabas haciendo ayer a distintas horas (3 afirmativas, 3 negativas).
Ver soluciones
B1: 1. was · 2. were · 3. was · 4. were · 5. was · 6. were B2: 1. was working · 2. weren't sleeping · 3. was running · 4. were watching · 5. wasn't studying · 6. were playing B3: 1. running · 2. driving · 3. sitting · 4. lying · 5. writing · 6. swimming B4: 1. I was working at 9. 2. She wasn't sleeping. 3. We were watching a film. 4. It was raining. 5. They were playing football. 6. You weren't listening. B5: 1. We were watching TV. 2. She was sleeping. 3. I was working at 8. 4. They were playing. 5. I was running. B6: 1. I was having dinner at 8. 2. They were not sleeping. 3. It was raining all morning. B7: Respuesta libre.
🚀 Reto del día (60 min)
"Yesterday in slow motion" — tu día de ayer en cámara lenta.
- Elige 6 horas distintas de ayer (p. ej. 7:00, 9:00, 13:00, 17:00, 20:00, 22:00). (5 min)
- Para cada hora escribe una frase con pasado continuo: At 7 a.m. I was having breakfast. (20 min)
- Añade 4 frases negativas (lo que NO estabas haciendo). (10 min)
- Revisa was/were y todas las terminaciones -ing. (10 min)
- Grábate (1–2 min) leyendo tu día en voz alta. (10 min)
- Autoevalúa con la rúbrica. (5 min)
Rúbrica (0–10):
- Uso correcto de was/were: 0–3
- Terminación -ing bien formada (spelling): 0–3
- Frases negativas correctas: 0–2
- Variedad de verbos: 0–1
- Pronunciación de was/were débil: 0–1
✅ Quiz (~15 min)
- ¿Cuál es la forma del pasado continuo?
- ¿Qué forma de be usas con she?
- ¿Y con they?
- Negativo de I was reading = ?
- -ing de run = ?
- -ing de drive = ?
- Corrige: We was watching TV.
- Corrige: She were sleeping.
- Traduce: Estaba lloviendo.
- ¿Se puede decir I was knowing? ¿Por qué?
Ver respuestas
- was/were + verbo-ing. 2. was. 3. were. 4. I wasn't reading. 5. running. 6. driving. 7. We were watching TV. 8. She was sleeping. 9. It was raining. 10. No: know es verbo de estado; se dice I knew.
📚 Recursos
- British Council — Past continuous: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
- BBC Learning English — Past continuous: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish
- Cambridge Dictionary (spelling -ing): https://dictionary.cambridge.org
⏭️ Siguiente
Mañana: conectamos dos acciones del pasado con when y while — la combinación clave para narrar interrupciones ("estaba cocinando cuando sonó el teléfono").
Quiz
Q What is the correct past continuous form?
* was / were + verbo-ing
- did + verbo-ing
- was / were + verbo en pasado
Q Which form goes with "she"?
* was
- were
- did
Q Choose the correct sentence.
* We were watching TV.
- We was watching TV.
- We were watch TV.
Q What is the -ing form of "run"?
* running
- runing
- runned