📝 Created by: El Arby Ameur | 📅 August 2026 | 🌐 lesson.tn
📖 Estimated reading time: 12 minutes | Word count: ~1500 words
📊 Past Tenses Comparison: Simple vs Continuous vs Perfect
Level: A2-B2 | Focus: Understanding the differences between past tenses
GrammarTensespast tensescomparison
Tense
Formula
Use
Example
Time Words
Past Simple
V2 (-ed)
completed past actions
I worked yesterday.
yesterday, last week, ago
Past Continuous
was/were + V-ing
past actions in progress
I was working at 8 PM.
when, while, at (time)
Past Perfect
had + V3
action before another past
I had worked before he arrived.
already, just, by the time
Past Perfect Continuous
had been + V-ing
duration before another past
I had been working for 2 hours when he arrived.
for, since, by the time
📌 Examples in Context
• Past Simple: I ate breakfast at 8 AM. (completed action)
• Past Continuous: I was eating breakfast when the phone rang. (interrupted)
• Past Perfect: I had already eaten when he arrived. (before another past)
• Past Perfect Continuous: I had been waiting for an hour when the bus finally came. (duration)
💡 Sequence of Events:
Past Perfect → Past Simple → Present (now)
"I had already eaten (earlier) when he arrived (later)."