Past Continuous Conversation Questions (100+ Questions; Includes Picture Practice)
- Alex
- Apr 23
- 7 min read
Recommended level: B1 (intermediate)
This page is intended to be a resource for English learners and teachers. You can practice answering these past continuous conversation questions by yourself or with a partner. You can also write the answers in a notebook or in a digital document. To help learners feel more confident and to develop grammatical accuracy, the warm-up questions have some suggested answer beginnings, which makes them ideal for learners who are practicing this tense for the first time. For more challenging questions, move on to the "Let's go!" section.
Grammar reminder
You use the past continuous to talk about an action which was in progress at a specific time or during a specific period in the past. This means that the action was unfinished.
Structure
Subject + was/were (not) + verb+ing
"Sorry that I didn't pick up the phone. I was taking a shower."
Past Continuous Conversation Questions
Warm-up
What were you doing at this time yesterday?
At this time yesterday, I was [verb+ing].
What were you doing an hour ago?
An hour ago, I was [verb+ing].
Think about someone you have seen recently. What were they doing when you saw them?
I saw someone who was...
How was the weather an hour ago?
An hour ago, it was raining. / The sun was shining. / The wind was blowing.
What were you thinking about five minutes ago?
Five minutes ago, I was thinking about...
Sorry that I was late this morning. How long were you waiting for me?
I was waiting for you for...
Why were you looking at your phone a minute ago?
I was looking at my phone [to/because]...
What were you doing at 1am last night?
At 1am last night, I was...
Why didn't you study last night? What were you doing instead?
I didn't study because I was...
When you first started studying English, what were you hoping to get from it?
When I first started studying English, I was hoping to...
Picture Practice #1! It's Party Time!
Yesterday, you arrived late at a friend's birthday party. What was everyone doing when you arrived? Take a look at the pictures and describe the activities.
"A girl was..." / "Some people were..." / "I saw a guy who was..." / "He was..." / "They were..."
Asking about Activities that You Saw Someone Doing
You can use the past continuous to ask people questions about activities that you witnessed. These activities can be very recent, or they can be in the further past. In cases of the very recent past, you can use the phrase "just now" to mean "the moment just before I started talking to you." Read the questions and answer them appropriately.
Who were you texting just now?
What video were you watching?
Where were you driving when I saw you in your car yesterday?
Why were you laughing thirty seconds ago?
Why were you crying a minute ago?
You looked really angry when you were talking to your mom. What were you two arguing about?
Who were you talking to just now? I've never seen him before.
You looked really focused on your laptop screen when I walked into the room. What were you working on?
What book were you reading during lunch?
Which game were you playing with your friends yesterday?
Giving Reasons and Explanations
Roleplay! Imagine that these scenarios are true. Respond appropriately.
Why didn't you pick up the phone?
Sorry. I was...
Why did you take so long to reply to my message?
I passed by your house yesterday, but you weren't home. Where were you? What were you doing?
Why couldn't you come to the movie with us?
Why weren't you at Greta's birthday party?
Why didn't you attend the meeting?
Why did you ignore me when I called your name? Couldn't you hear me?
Why were you avoiding Sam at the party?
Why were you texting while I was talking to you? It was really rude of you.
Why didn't Carla come to the concert? Did she have something better to do? What was she doing instead?
What were you doing yesterday that you couldn't finish your homework? (Meaning: Why couldn't you finish your homework yesterday? What were you doing instead of doing your homework?)
Talking about Past Hopes, Plans, and Intentions
You can use the continuous verbs "hoping to," "looking to," and "thinking of" to ask about a person's hopes, plans, and intentions. Take a look at the following questions and answer them.
How much were you hoping to pay for this car?
How many boxes were you looking to buy?
How big of a house were you hoping to get?
Where were you hoping to go on your next vacation?
How were you thinking of getting to the beach? By car? Bus?...
How long were you thinking of staying in your current home?
What were you hoping to accomplish (successfully do) this year?
Are you looking to join any new clubs or start any new hobbies in the near future?
Repeated Actions and Behaviours: "Was/Were Always..."
If someone did something regularly or "all the time," you can use the past continuous to emphasize the repeated nature of the activity. The activities can be positive or negative. The phrase "was always" or "were always" is common in these cases. For example, "My dad was always helping people." "Our math teacher was always yelling at us." "Our car was always breaking down." Now, it's your turn! Here are some continuous verbs to give you some ideas: smiling, working, arguing, helping, cooking, playing, going, running around, explaining...
Complete the sentences:
His brother was always...
My mom was always...
I was always...
Their parents were always...
My English teacher was always...
The shopkeeper was always...
My neighbor's dogs were always...
The kids at the park were always...
My grandma was always...
Our music teacher was always...
"While" and "When" Questions
You can use "while" and "when" to talk about two past actions. Typically in these cases, "while" is used with the past continuous and "when" is used with the past simple, but this isn't always the case. Take a look at the questions to practice. The first two answers have been started for you.
What were you doing while I was preparing dinner?
While you were preparing dinner, I was...
What were you listening to when I interrupted you?
When you interrupted me, I was listening to...
Did you pay rent when you were living with your parents?
What were you doing when I called you?
I'm really sorry to hear about your car accident. What were you doing when it happened? And what about the other driver? Were they not paying attention?
Did you see anything funny while you were browsing videos on your phone?
Why did you turn the TV on when you knew that I was sleeping?
What were you doing while your dad was giving his speech at your sister's wedding?
When you were taking music lessons as a teenager, were you practicing regularly?
Were you listening to me when I was talking just now?
Picture Practice #2!
You went to ANOTHER party last night. You were very busy! So, what was everyone doing when you arrived? Remember: "He was..." / "I saw someone who was..." / "Some people were..." / "She was..." / "My friend Dave was..."
Telling Stories
The past continuous is commonly used as a narrative tense. This means you can use it when you are telling a story. It is often used to help you "set the scene" of your story. Create a oral narrative by answering the questions below.
When did the story happen? Last week? Yesterday? On Sunday night?
What kind of day was it? Was it beautiful? Was it dark and dreary? How was the weather? Was the sun or moon shining? Was it raining? Was it snowing?
What were you doing at the beginning of the story, and where were you?
I was...
So, while you were doing that, imagine that you saw someone. Who did you see?
What was that person doing?
Suddenly, the person looked directly at you and they started walking towards you. While he was walking towards you, what were you thinking and/or how were you feeling? Was your heart beating slowly or quickly?
What did you decide to do next?
And while you were doing that, was the other person doing anything new?
What did you do then? How did the story end? After everything happened, what were you doing? ("I was laughing." "I was breathing hard." "I was thinking about...")
Temporary Situations
You can use the past continuous to talk about temporary situations in the past. For example, you can say, "I was working as a bank clerk when I met my wife." Answer the questions below to practice this usage.
Did you ever have a part-time job when you were a teenager? Where were you working during that time? Did anything interesting happen while you were working at that job?
Think about one of your past vacations. Where were you staying during it? At a hotel? At a family member's house or apartment?
Think about your first cellphone. Before you changed your plan, do you remember how much you were paying per month for it?
Think about an app that you have deleted off your phone. What were you using it for before you deleted it? Why did you delete it?
Were you thinking about doing something that you didn't do last year? Why didn't you do it?
Last year, I was thinking about...but I didn't do it because...
The Big Finish!
What were you doing when the power went out?
Were the buses running on time this morning?
Who were you having dinner with last night? I didn't recognize anybody when I saw you through the restaurant window.
Were you paying attention to the teacher, or were you thinking about something else?
Where were you thinking about going on your next vacation?
When were you thinking of telling me that you were moving to a new country?
In university, I remember that you had a big apartment with a lot of really nice stuff in it. How were you paying for everything?
Were you working late last night? (Or: What time were you working until last night?)
What were you doing when your computer crashed?
Were you planning to go on any trips before the pandemic happened?
When your cousin was on his diet, what kinds of food was he eating?
What were you doing when you hurt your back?
Who were you waiting for at the restaurant? I saw you check your watch a couple of times.
Were you shopping for anything specific when I saw you at the mall yesterday?
She ended the date after five minutes?! What happened? First of all, what were you wearing?
What were you doing when the wi-fi went down?
And that's it! If you enjoyed this resource, please consider supporting my work (and continuing to improve your English!) by purchasing one of my books. Each one is available in PDF, e-Book, and paperback format. Take a look and let me know what you think! Until next time, keep practicing.
