Past Continuous
O Past Continuous (Passado Contínuo), também conhecido como Past Progressive (Passado Progressivo), é um tempo verbal utilizado para indicar ações contínuas que ocorreram no passado.
Quando utilizar o Past Continuous?
Confira os casos onde o Past Continuous deve ser utilizado.
1. Para expressar duas ou mais ações que acontecem ao mesmo tempo no passado
Nesse caso, é muito comum o uso da palavra while (enquanto).
Exemplos:
- I was reading a book while he was watching TV. (Eu estava lendo um livro enquanto ele estava assistindo TV).
- My father was washing the dishes while my mother was vacuumming the house. (Meu pai estava lavando a louça enquanto minha mãe estava passando o aspirador na casa.)
- While the girls were playing basketball, the boys were playing volleyball. (Enquanto as meninas estavam jogando basquete, os meninos estavam jogando vôlei.)
2. Para expressar uma ação contínua no passado, que já estava acontecendo, quando outra mais pontual ocorreu
Nesse caso, a ação pontual no passado é expressa pelo Simple Past (Passado Simples).
Exemplos:
- I was watching Brazil’s game when the phone rang. (Eu estava assistindo o jogo do Brasil quando o telefone tocou.)
- We were talking when the teacher arrived. (Estávamos conversando quando a professora chegou.)
- They were studying when somebody rang the bell. (Eles estavam estudando quando alguém tocou a campainha.)
3. Para expressar uma ação contínua habitual que ocorria no passado
Nesse caso, geralmente são empregados advérbios de frequência como os indicados na tabela abaixo.
| Advérbios de frequência | |
|---|---|
| constantly | constantemente |
| often | frequentemente |
| rarely | raramente |
| occassionally | ocasionalmente |
| weekly | semanalmente |
| monthly | mensalmente |
| yearly | anualmente |
Exemplos:
- He was constantly owing money to his friends. (Ele estava constantemente devendo dinheiro aos amigos.)
- She was often asking for help. (Ela estava sempre pedindo ajuda.)
- They were always making the same mistakes. (Eles estavam sempre cometendo os mesmos erros.)
4. Para estabelecer uma relação temporal entre uma ação contínua que ocorreu no passado e o momento presente
Nesse caso, é muito comum o uso de certas expressões de tempo.
Algumas das mais usadas são as indicadas na tabela abaixo.
| Expressões de tempo | |
|---|---|
| by this time | por esta hora; por esta época |
| yesterday | ontem |
| last night | ontem à noite |
| last year | ano passado |
| last month | mês passado |
Exemplos:
- By this time last month, we were celebrating his graduation. (Mês passado, por esta hora, estávamos comemorando a formatura dele.)
- She is wearing a skirt today, but she was wearing a dress yesterday. (Ela está usando uma saia hoje, mas ontem estava usando um vestido.)
- We were living in Miami last year. (Nós estávamos morando em Miami no ano passado).
Regras de formação do Past Continuous
O Past Continuous é formado pela união do verbo auxilar to be conjugado no Simple Past (Passado Simples) + gerúndio (-ing acrescido a um verbo principal).
As flexões do verbo to be no Simple Past são was e were.
Was é usado com a primeira pessoa do singular (I) e com a terceira pessoa do singular (he, she e it), e were é usado com as demais pessoas verbais (you, we e they).
Confira abaixo a conjugação completa do verbo to be no Simple Past.
Verbo To Be
Uma vez que o verbo to be é o auxiliar do Past Continuous, relembre sua conjugação no Simple Past:
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| I was | I was not/ I wasn't | Was I...? |
| You were | You were not/ You weren't | Were you...? |
| He was | He was not/ He wasn't | Was he...? |
| She was | She was not/ She wasn't | Was she...? |
| It was | It was not/ It wasn't | Was it...? |
| We were | We were not/ We weren't | Were we...? |
| You were | You were not/ You weren't | Were you...? |
| They were | They were not/ They weren't | Were they...? |
Forma Afirmativa (Affirmative Form)
Nas frases afirmativas no Past Continuous, a forma correta de construção frasal é:
Sujeito + Verbo to be no Simple Past + Verbo principal com –ing + Complemento
Exemplo: She was going to my house. (Ela estava indo para a minha casa.)
Forma Negativa (Negative Form)
Nas frases negativas, utiliza-se o not após o verbo to be. Observe a formação correta:
Sujeito + Verbo to be no Simple Past + not + Verbo principal com –ing + Complemento
Exemplo: She was not going to my house. (Ela não estava indo para a minha casa.)
Atenção! (Pay Attention!)
Na forma negativa, o verbo to be pode ser usado na contracted form (forma contraída):
| Full form | Contracted form |
|---|---|
| I was not | I wasn’t |
| You were not | You weren’t |
| He/She/It was not | He/She/It wasn’t |
| We were not | We weren’t |
| You were not | You weren’t |
| They were not | They weren’t |
Forma Interrogativa (Interrogative Form)
Na formação das frases interrogativas, a seguinte construção frasal é utilizada:
Verbo to be no Simple Past + Sujeito + Verbo principal com –ing + Complemento
Exemplo: Was she going to my house? (Ela estava indo para a minha casa?)
Exemplo de conjugação no Past Continuous
Verbo to go (ir)
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| I was going | I was not going/ I wasn't going | Was I going...? |
| You were going | You were not going/ You weren't going | Were you going...? |
| He was going | He was not going/ He wasn't going | Was he going...? |
| She was going | She was not going/ She wasn't going | Was she going...? |
| It was going | It was not going/ It wasn't going | Was it going...? |
| We were going | We were not going/ We weren't going | Were we going...? |
| You were going | You were not going/ You weren't going | Were you going...? |
| They were going | They were not going/ They weren't going | Were they going...? |
Diferença entre Simple Past e Past Continuous
Alguns estudantes da língua inglesa têm dificuldades em saber quando usar o Simple Past (Passado Simples) e quando usar o Past Continuous (Passado Contínuo).
O Simple Past (Passado Simples) expressa ações ou fatos pontuais que começaram e terminaram no passado; que já aconteceram.
Outra situação que requer o uso do Simple Past é a existência de um tempo passado específico na frase, como, por exemplo, yesterday (ontem), last week (semana passada), last month (mês passado), last year (ano passado).
Exemplos:
Affirmative Form: He visited his cousins last month. (Ele visitou os primos mês passado.)
Negative Form: He did not visit his cousins last month. (Ele não visitou os primos mês passado.)
Interrogative Form: Did he visit his cousins last month? (Ele visitou os primos mês passado?)
O Past Continuous (Passado Contínuo) expressa ações contínuas que ocorreram no passado.
Se em uma frase houver duas ou mais ações no passado, é preciso identificar que ação começou primeiro e que demais ações aconteceram posteriormente.
A ação que acontece primeiro é expressa pelo Past Continuous e a ação que acontece depois é expressa pelo Simple Past.
Exemplos:
Affirmative Form: You were studying when he called. (Você estava estudando quando ele ligou.)
Negative Form: You were not studying when he called. (Você não estava estudando quando ele ligou.)
Interrogative Form: Were you studying when he called? (Você estava estudando quando ele ligou?)
Observe que, nas frases acima, a ação que começou primeiro é were studying (estava estudando) e a ação que ocorreu depois é he called (ele ligou)
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