1.4.3 Past simple and past continuous contrasted

We use the past simple for a situation or an action or a number of actions considered as complete; we use the past continuous for a situation or an action or a number of actions considered as incomplete at the moment in question, e.g.:

The school bell rang at 4.15. (El timbre de l'escola va sonar a les 4.15.)

The children were still coming out of school at 4.30. (Els nens encara sortien de l'escola a les 4.30.)

Last Saturday it snowed all day. (Dissabte passat va nevar tot el dia.)

When I left work, it was snowing heavily. (Quan he sortit de la feina, nevava molt.)

All these houses were built in the 1980's. (Totes aquestes cases es van construir als anys 80.)

There were several strikes while the houses were being built. (Hi havia diverses vagues mentre construïen aquestes cases.)

	See also past simple, past continuous and for verbs that do not have continuous tenses, see stative verbs.