
Past Continuous Tense: अपूर्ण भूत काल
Tenses are essential in English grammar, and the Past Continuous Tense is vital for describing actions or events that were happening at a specific time in the past. In this blog, we will explore the Past Continuous Tense in Hindi, discussing its structure, rules, and examples.
Here you will learn about the Past Continuous Tense in Hindi, including its rules, structure, sentences, and examples. This understanding will aid you in learning English online, much like a spoken English language course.
इस blog में आप Past Continuous Tense के बारे में सीखेंगे, जिसमें हम इसके rules, structure, और examples पर ध्यान देंगे।
What is the Past Continuous Tense?
The Past Continuous Tense describes actions that were ongoing at a particular moment in the past. It is used for actions that started before a specific time and were still in progress at that time. The form of verbs in this tense includes a past participle (verb + -ing) and is often accompanied by a past form of the verb “to be.”
Past Continuous Tense उन क्रियाओं को describe करता है जो पिछले किसी विशेष समय पर जारी थीं। इसमें क्रिया का रूप (क्रिया + -ing) और “to be” का अतीत रूप शामिल होता है।
सीखें Past Continuous Tense बिना Grammar में उलझे through this video
Definition of Past Continuous Tense
The Past Continuous Tense is used to describe actions that were happening at a specific time in the past or actions that were temporarily ongoing in the past.
Past Continuous Tense वह tense होते है जिसका use ऐसी situations के लिए किया जाता है जो past समय में चल रही थीं या temporarily रूप से हो रही थीं।
Structure and Formula of Past Continuous Tense
The structure of the Past Continuous Tense is based on the following formula:
Subject + was/were + Verb (-ing form) + Object/Complement
Here:
– Subject: The person or thing carrying out the action.
– was/were: The form of the verb ‘to be’ used according to the subject.
– Verb (-ing form): The main verb in its past participle form.
– Object/Complement: Additional information or the person/thing affected by the action.
Past Continuous Tense का structure बहुत आसान होता है जहाँ subject के साथ was/were का use होता है और verb की -ing form लगती है।
Types of Past Continuous Tense
There are four main types of Past Continuous Tense sentences:
1. Assertive Sentence
Formula: Subject + was/were + Verb (-ing) + Object
Examples:
He was working at the office the whole day when his friend sent him a message.
वह पूरे दिन office में काम कर रहा था तभी उसके दोस्त ने उसे message किया।
I was waiting for her at home yesterday when she called me to cancel the plan.
मैं कल घर पर उसका इंतजार कर रहा था जब उसने मुझे plan cancel करने के लिए बुलाया।
They were shopping the other day when it started raining heavily.
वे दूसरे दिन shopping कर रहे थे जब तेज बारिश शुरू हो गई।
I was sleeping when you went out last night.
मैं सो रहा था जब तुम कल रात बाहर गए थे।
2. Negative Sentence
Formula: Subject + was/were + not + Verb (-ing) + Object
Examples:
He was not going to bed when I called him.
जब मैंने उसे बुलाया तो वह सोने नहीं जा रहा था।
I was not making any phone calls when they arrived.
जब वे पहुंचे तो मैं phone नहीं कर रहा था।
She was not studying when I was working.
जब मैं काम कर रहा था तब वह पढ़ नहीं रही थी।
They were not going to the market when I went to their house.
जब मैं उनके घर गया तो वे बाजार नहीं जा रहे थे।
3. Positive Interrogative Sentence
Formula: Was/Were + Subject + Verb (-ing) + Object?
Examples:
Was she writing a letter when you called her?
जब आपने उसे बुलाया तो क्या वह एक पत्र लिख रही थी?
Was I working the other day when he visited us?
क्या मैं उस दिन काम कर रहा था जब वह हमसे मिलने आया था?
Were they going somewhere when you woke up?
क्या वे कहीं जा रहे थे जब आप जागे?
Were you cooking food when I kept calling you several times?
जब मैं आपको कई बार phone करता रहा तो क्या आप खाना बना रहे थे?
4. Negative Interrogative Sentence
Formula: Was/Were + Subject + not + Verb (-ing) + Object?
Examples:
Was she not giving away sweets to children when you visited her?
जब आप उससे मिलने गए तो क्या वह बच्चों को मिठाई नहीं दे रही थी?
Were they not going to the airport when there was news of a heavy storm?
क्या वे हवाई अड्डे पर नहीं जा रहे थे जब भारी तूफान की खबर आई?
Was I not sleeping when you woke up by the sudden thundering?
जब तुम अचानक गड़गड़ाहट से उठे तो क्या मैं सो नहीं रहा था?
Was he working late at night when his mother started to feel unwell?
क्या वह देर रात काम कर रहा था जब उसकी माँ की तबीयत खराब होने लगी?
Some WH Sentences Example of Past Continuous Tense
The Past Continuous Tense can also be used in WH (question words like who, what, where, why, when, and how) sentences to inquire about past actions or situations. The WH word is placed at the beginning of the sentence followed by the auxiliary verb (was/were).
Past Continuous Tense का use WH शब्दों (जैसे कौन, क्या, कहाँ, क्यों, कब, कैसे) के साथ भी किया जा सकता है जिससे हम किसी चल रही क्रिया या स्थिति के बारे में पूछ सकते हैं। WH शब्द वाक्य के शुरुआत में लिखा जाता है, इसके बाद सहायक क्रिया (was/were) आती है।
WH Questions with Past Continuous Tense
Where was he going while you were eating?
जब तुम खा रहे थे तब वह कहाँ जा रहा था?
He was going to the office while I was eating.
जब मैं खाना खा रहा था तब वह office जा रहा था।
Where were they running to when I was coming to the park?
जब मैं park में आ रहा था तो वे कहाँ भाग रहे थे?
They were running to catch their puppy when you were going to the park.
जब आप park में जा रहे थे तो वे अपने puppy को पकड़ने के लिए दौड़ रहे थे।
Why was she crying when you ran towards her?
जब तुम उसकी ओर दौड़े तो वह क्यों रो रही थी?
She was crying because she lost her phone when I ran towards her.
वह रो रही थी क्योंकि जब मैं उसकी ओर दौड़ा तो उसने अपना phone खो दिया।
What was the teacher telling you while you were calling your father?
जब आप अपने पिता को बुला रहे थे तब teacher आपको क्या बता रहे थे?
The teacher told me to take a rest while I was calling my father.
जब मैं अपने papa को phone कर रही थी तो teacher ने मुझे आराम करने के लिए कहा।
How was your trip to the mountains while it was raining heavily?
जब भारी बारिश हो रही थी तो पहाड़ों की यात्रा कैसी रही?
Our trip to the mountains was full of adventure while it was raining heavily.
पहाड़ों की हमारी यात्रा रोमांच से भरी थी, जबकि भारी बारिश हो रही थी।
5 Exceptions to the Rule of Past Continuous Tense:
Stative Verbs: Certain verbs that express a state or condition (e.g., believe, love, know, understand) are generally not used in the past continuous tense.
Stative verbs वे क्रियाएँ होती हैं जो किसी अवस्था या स्थिति को express करती हैं (जैसे: विश्वास करना, प्यार करना, जानना, समझना)। इनका use आमतौर पर Past Continuous Tense में नहीं किया जाता।
Example:
Incorrect: She was loving the movie.
Correct: She loved the movie.
Non-action Verbs: Verbs that describe possession or mental states (e.g., own, want, seem) are typically not used in the past continuous tense.
Non-action verbs वे क्रियाएँ होती हैं जो किसी अधिकार या मानसिक स्थिति का वर्णन करती हैं (जैसे: मालिक होना, चाहना, प्रतीत होना)। इनका use आमतौर पर Past Continuous Tense में नहीं किया जाता।
Example:
Incorrect: She was owning a car.
Correct: She owned a car.
Repeated Actions: The past continuous tense is not used for habitual or repeated actions. Instead, the simple past tense is more suitable.
Past Continuous Tense का use habitual या repeated कार्यों के लिए नहीं किया जाता। इसके बजाय Simple Past Tense का use अधिक suitable होता है।
Example:
Incorrect: He was going to the gym every day.
Correct: He went to the gym every day.
Fixed Schedules: The past continuous tense is not used to describe fixed scheduled events. Simple past tense is preferred in such cases.
Past Continuous Tense का use fixed scheduled वाले घटनाओं के लिए नहीं किया जाता है। ऐसे मामलों में Simple Past Tense का use अधिक suitable होता है।
Example:
Incorrect: The train was arriving at 9 AM.
Correct: The train arrived at 9 AM.
Immediate Future: For actions happening in the near future, the simple past tense is more appropriate.
Past Continuous Tense का use near future में होने वाली क्रियाओं के लिए नहीं किया जाता। इसके बजाय Simple Past Tense का use अधिक appropriate होता है।
Example:
Incorrect: We were having a meeting tomorrow.
Correct: We had a meeting tomorrow.
What Do You Use Past Continuous Tense For?
Uses of the Past Continuous Tense:
Describing actions happening at a specific moment in the past.
Example: “He was reading a book.”
Describing temporary situations or actions in the past.
Example: “She was staying with us for a week.”
Indicating interrupted actions in the past.
Example: “They were working on a project when the lights went out.”
Expressing ongoing or progressive actions in the past.
Example: “He was constantly complaining about the weather.”
Past Continuous Tense का use अतीत में चल रही क्रियाओं, अस्थायी स्थितियों, और लगातार हो रही गतिविधियों को express करने के लिए किया जाता है।
General Rules to Form Past Continuous Tense
Here are some key rules to follow while forming the Past Continuous Tense:
Use the correct form of the verb ‘to be’ (was, were) based on the subject.
Example: “I was going,” “She was studying,” “They were working.”
Add -ing to the base form of the verb.
Example: “sit” becomes “sitting,” “read” becomes “reading.”
Ensure the sentence structure follows the formula: Subject + was/were + Verb (-ing) + Object.
Example: “She was cooking dinner.”
Past Continuous Tense के लिए सही verb ‘to be’ (was, were) का use करें, verb की base form में -ing जोड़ें, और यह ensure करें कि sentence का use सही से हो।
Where Not to Use Past Continuous Tense
Do not use the Past Continuous Tense where it is not appropriate:
For habitual actions or repeated past actions.
Instead of “He was going to school every day,” say “He went to school every day.”
For actions that were completed in the past.
Instead of “She was finishing her homework yesterday,” say “She finished her homework yesterday.”
For future plans when the simple past tense is more suitable.
Instead of “We were having dinner tomorrow,” say “We had dinner tomorrow.”
Past Continuous Tense का use habitual actions, पूरी हो चुकी घटनाओं, या भविष्य की योजनाओं के लिए नहीं होता। जैसे, “वह रोज़ school जा रहा था” की जगह “वह रोज़ school गया” कहना सही है।
Verbs That Cannot Be Used With Past Continuous Tense
Some verbs are not typically used in the Past Continuous Tense, including:
Stative Verbs: These express states or situations rather than physical actions.
Examples: to like, to know, to possess.
Dynamic Verbs with Progressive Meanings: Some dynamic verbs imply ongoing actions and are usually expressed in the Past Continuous Tense.
Examples: to play, to cook, to read, to dance.
Past Continuous Tense में कुछ verbs, जैसे कि stative verbs और कुछ dynamic verbs का use सामान्यत: नहीं किया जाता।
Past Continuous Tense Examples
Here are some sentences using Past Continuous Tense:
I was reading a book.
मैं एक किताब पढ़ रहा था।
She was writing a letter.
वह letter लिख रही थी।
We were traveling to Paris.
हम Paris की यात्रा कर रहे थे।
He was cooking dinner.
वह रात का खाना बना रहा था।
They were watching a movie.
वे एक film देख रहे थे।
You were studying hard.
आप मेहनत से पढ़ाई कर रहे थे।
Past Continuous Tenses Practice Questions
Identify and tick the Past Continuous Tenses:
My brother and I are watching television when mom arrived.
जब माँ आई तो मैं और मेरा भाई television देख रहे हैं ।
At 4.30 pm today she was driving to the airport when I called her.
आज शाम 4.30 बजे वह airport की ओर जा रही थी जब मैंने उसे फोन किया।
We wasn’t at home when she came to visit us.
जब वह हमसे मिलने आई तो हम घर पर नहीं नहीं था ।
Why was he not at home at 5 pm while you were waiting for him?
जब आप उसका इंतजार कर रहे थे तो वह शाम 5 बजे घर पर क्यों नहीं था?
I was watching a movie at 9 pm yesterday while you were away for work.
मैं कल रात 9 बजे एक फिल्म देख रहा था जब आप काम के लिए बाहर थे।
She aren’t studying while you were asleep.
जब आप सो रहे थे तब वह पढ़ नहीं रही हैं ।
I was going down the street when I saw Julie.
मैं सड़क पर जा रहा था कि मैंने जूली को देखा।
The phone was ringing while I was locking the door.
जब मैं दरवाजा बंद कर रहा था तब phone बज रहा था।
As I got up this morning it isn’t raining heavily.
आज सुबह जब मैं उठा तो बहुत तेज़ बारिश नहीं हो रही है ।
They were quarreling when we weren’t there at home.
जब हम घर पर नहीं थे तो वे आपस में झगड़ रहे थे।
Past Continuous Tense fill-in-the-blanks exercise:
- I ___ (watch) a movie when you called.
- They ___ (play) football in the park yesterday.
- She ___ (read) a novel at 5 PM.
- We ___ (wait) for the bus at that moment.
- The kids ___ (swim) in the pool this morning.
- My parents ___ (travel) to London last week.
- He ___ (study) for his exams when the lights went out.
- You ___ (make) a cake when I arrived.
- The birds ___ (fly) in the sky this afternoon.
- I ___ (learn) how to cook when I lived there.
Answers:
- was watching
- were playing
- was reading
- were waiting
- were swimming
- were travelling
- was studying
- were making
- were flying
- was learning
Past Continuous Tense: Active and Passive Voice Exercise
Below is an exercise designed to help you practice converting active voice sentences into passive voice in the Past Continuous Tense.
Exercise:
- They were decorating the hall for the event.
- The kids were drawing pictures in the classroom.
- The delivery person was bringing the package.
- Scientists were conducting experiments on climate change.
- The chef was preparing a special dish for dinner.
- Workers were renovating the old building.
- The editor was reviewing the manuscript.
Answers (Passive Voice):
- The hall was being decorated for the event by them.
- Pictures were being drawn in the classroom by the kids.
- The package was being brought by the delivery person.
- Experiments on climate change were being conducted by scientists.
- The special dish for dinner was being prepared by the chef.
- The old building was being renovated by the workers.
- The manuscript was being reviewed by the editor.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the main function of the Past Continuous Tense?
Answer: The Past Continuous Tense primarily describes actions that were happening at a specific moment or ongoing in the past.
Example: She was cooking dinner at 5 PM.
2. How do I construct a sentence in the Past Continuous Tense?
Answer: To form a sentence in the Past Continuous, use the subject + auxiliary verb (was/were) + the main verb with -ing.
Example: We were watching a movie.
3. Can the Past Continuous Tense be used to describe temporary activities?
Answer: Yes, this tense is often used to describe temporary activities or actions that were not permanent in the past.
Example: I was staying with my friend for a week.
4. Is the Past Continuous Tense used for future plans?
Answer: No, the Past Continuous Tense is not used for future plans; it refers to actions that were ongoing in the past.
5. Can the Past Continuous Tense be used for repeated actions?
Answer: The Past Continuous Tense can express repeated actions if they were happening around a specific time in the past.
Example: He was constantly calling me back then.
Conclusion
We hope this blog on the Past Continuous Tense in Hindi and English has helped you understand the details of this tense. We have covered the structure, rules, and usage of the Past Continuous Tense. This understanding will assist you in practicing English speaking and becoming fluent in spoken English. If you are looking for the best English-speaking course online, you can join Awal sir’s Spoken English Course.
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