📘 Lesson 1 • Past Continuous & Verbs
Verbs & Past Continuous Masterclass
A Complete Visual Guide to Storytelling & Sentence Building in English
🇲🇽 Lección 1: Domina los verbos en pasado, la fórmula continua y practica con 24 oraciones en el Sentence Studio.1. Verb Foundations
Bases de Verbos IrregularesMaster irregular past verbs (went, saw, ate, rang) and the golden formula: WAS / WERE + VERB-ING.
2. 24-Prompt Sentence Studio
Taller con 24 Opciones y RotaciónClick and assemble affirmative, negative, question, and connected sentences with instant student reset!
3. When & While Stories
Historias e InterrupcionesConnect continuous background actions with sudden interruptions using WHEN and parallel actions with WHILE.
🚀 What you will be able to construct and say today:
"Yesterday at 8:00 PM, I was cooking tacos when my best friend called!"
(Ayer a las 8:00 PM, yo estaba cocinando tacos cuando mi mejor amigo llamó.)
⚡ Section 1 • Verb Warm-Up
Why Past Verbs Matter in Stories
In English, continuous actions are often stopped or joined by simple past verbs.
🇲🇽 Para contar historias, combinamos una acción larga en progreso con una acción rápida en pasado simple.Regular Verbs (+ed)
Verbos Regulares (solo agrega -ed)- walk ➔ walked (caminó)
- cook ➔ cooked (cocinó)
- watch ➔ watched (vio la tele)
- call ➔ called (llamó por teléfono)
Irregular Verbs (Change words)
Verbos Irregulares (cambian de forma)- go ➔ went (fue / fui)
- see ➔ saw (vio / vi)
- ring ➔ rang (sonó el timbre/teléfono)
- fall ➔ fell (se cayó)
💡 Real Classroom Story Example:
"I was sleeping when the alarm rang."
(Estaba durmiendo cuando sonó la alarma — 'rang' es el pasado irregular de 'ring').
📚 Essential Bank
The 12 Must-Know Storytelling Verbs
Memorize these common irregular verbs used in everyday English stories.
🇲🇽 Los 12 verbos clave que usarás constantemente al contar lo que pasó.Daily Life Verbs (Acciones Diarias)
| Present | Past Simple | Significado en México |
|---|---|---|
| go | went | fue / fui |
| see | saw | vio / vi |
| eat | ate | comió / comí |
| have | had | tuvo / tenía |
| hear | heard | escuchó / oyó |
| come | came | vino / vine |
Interruption Verbs (Acciones Repentinas)
| Present | Past Simple | Significado en México |
|---|---|---|
| ring | rang | sonó el timbre/cel |
| fall | fell | se cayó / me caí |
| break | broke | rompió / quebró |
| take | took | tomó / agarró |
| make | made | hizo / preparó |
| buy | bought | compró / compré |
🎯 Practice Review 1A • Easy
Review 1A: Irregular Past Recall
Select the correct past form for each irregular verb.
🇲🇽 Elige la forma correcta en pasado de cada verbo.
🔥 Practice Review 1B • Moderate
Review 1B: Verbs in Sentence Context
Choose the correct past verb to complete the story sentence.
🇲🇽 Selecciona el verbo en pasado correcto según el contexto de la oración.
⭐ Core Structure
What is Past Continuous? (Pasado Continuo)
Used for actions that were in progress (happening) at a specific time in the past.
🇲🇽 Se usa para acciones que estaban ocurriendo en un momento específico del pasado.The Master Structure Formula:
SubjectSujeto (¿Quién?)
+
WAS / WEREEstaba / Estaban
+
VERB + -INGAcción (-ando / -iendo)
+
ComplementCuándo / Dónde
SINGULAR SUBJECTS ➔ Use WAS
WASI
Yo
was
He
Él
was
She
Ella
was
It
Eso / Cosa / Clima
was
• I was sleeping ➔ Yo estaba durmiendo
• She was cooking ➔ Ella estaba cocinando
• It was raining ➔ Estaba lloviendo
PLURAL & YOU ➔ Use WERE
WEREYou
Tú / Ustedes
were
We
Nosotros / Nosotras
were
They
Ellos / Ellas
were
• You were watching TV ➔ Tú estabas viendo la tele
• We were eating tacos ➔ Estábamos comiendo tacos
• They were playing soccer ➔ Ellos estaban jugando futbol
✍️ Spelling Rules
How to Add -ING to Verbs Correctly
Four super simple spelling rules that cover 99% of English verbs.
🇲🇽 Cuatro reglas ortográficas muy sencillas para agregar "-ing".1. Most Verbs ➔ Just Add -ing
La mayoría de los verbos: solo agrega -ing.
• play ➔ playing (jugando)
• read ➔ reading (leyendo)
• cook ➔ cooking (cocinando)
• read ➔ reading (leyendo)
• cook ➔ cooking (cocinando)
2. Silent "E" ➔ Drop "E" + ing
Termina en "e" muda: quita la "e" y pon -ing.
• drive ➔ driving (NO driveing) (manejando)
• make ➔ making (NO makeing) (haciendo)
• write ➔ writing (NO writeing) (escribiendo)
• make ➔ making (NO makeing) (haciendo)
• write ➔ writing (NO writeing) (escribiendo)
3. 1-Syllable (C-V-C) ➔ Double Letter
1 sílaba (Consonante-Vocal-Consonante): duplica la última letra.
• run ➔ running (corriendo)
• swim ➔ swimming (nadando)
• sit ➔ sitting (sentándose)
• swim ➔ swimming (nadando)
• sit ➔ sitting (sentándose)
4. Ends in "-ie" ➔ Change to "Y" + ing
Termina en "-ie": cambia a "y" y agrega -ing.
• lie ➔ lying (mintiendo / recostado)
• die ➔ dying (muriendo)
• die ➔ dying (muriendo)
🚫 Negatives & Questions
How to Say "NO" and Ask Questions
Forming negative statements and asking yes/no and WH- questions.
🇲🇽 Cómo decir que alguien NO estaba haciendo algo y cómo hacer preguntas.
⛔
was not = wasn't | were not = weren't
NEGATIVES: wasn't / weren't
• I wasn't sleeping when you called.
➔ No estaba durmiendo cuando llamaste.
• They weren't studying for the test.
➔ Ellos no estaban estudiando para el examen.
❓
Fórmula: Was/Were + Sujeto + Verbo-ing?
QUESTIONS: Put WAS/WERE First!
• Were you cooking at 7:00 PM?
➔ ¿Estabas cocinando a las 7:00 PM? (Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.)
• What were you doing yesterday?
➔ ¿Qué estabas haciendo ayer?
🎯 Practice Review 2A • Easy
Review 2A: Was / Were & -ING Form
Choose the correct past continuous verb forms.
🇲🇽 Selecciona la forma correcta de was / were y la ortografía del verbo.
🔥 Practice Review 2B • Moderate
Review 2B: Negatives, Questions & Corrections
Practice sentence transformations and fixing common mistakes.
🇲🇽 Práctica de oraciones negativas, preguntas y corrección de errores comunes.
🏗️ Sentence Building Blueprint
The 4-Step Sentence Construction Guide
A clear step-by-step method to build any sentence without getting stuck.
🇲🇽 Guía de 4 pasos para armar cualquier oración en inglés de forma natural y correcta.STEP 1 • PASO 1
Choose Subject
¿Quién hace la acción?
I, Carlos, The kids
STEP 2 • PASO 2
Match Helper
was o were
was / were / wasn't
STEP 3 • PASO 3
Add -ING to Verb
Acción en progreso
cooking / studying
STEP 4 • PASO 4
Add Context
Detalles o interrupción
dinner at 8 PM
🔍 Guided Example Walkthrough: "Mariana estaba leyendo un libro en su cuarto."
- Step 1 (Subject): Mariana = She (singular) ➔
Mariana - Step 2 (Helper): Mariana is singular ➔ use
was - Step 3 (Action): Verb is 'read' ➔ add -ing ➔
reading - Step 4 (Complement): What and where ➔
a book in her room - Final Result: "Mariana was reading a book in her room."
🔨 Interactive Sentence Builder Studio
Sentence Builder Studio (24 Practice Prompts)
Pick from 24 curated prompts or click Random to invite another student to practice!
🇲🇽 Taller interactivo con 24 oraciones. Haz clic en 'Next Student' para que pase otro alumno a armar una nueva oración.
STUDIO WORKSHOP MODE
CATEGORY • AFFIRMATIVE
"Mi hermano estaba jugando videojuegos ayer en la noche."
Sujeto + was + verbo-ing
Available Word Chips (Haz clic en las palabras en orden):
Click chips to place them in slots
Your assembled sentence will appear here...
📝 Scaffolded Workshop
Guided Sentence Making Prompts
Use the cues provided to choose the perfectly structured sentence.
🇲🇽 Guía estructurada para elegir la oración armada correctamente.PROMPT 1: Cooking Dinner
Cues:
Diego estaba cocinando tacos a las 7 PM.
Diego (Él) + cook + tacos at 7 PM• Diego is singular ➔ requires was.
• cook + ing ➔ cooking.
➔ "Diego was cooking tacos at 7 PM."
PROMPT 2: Homework (Negative)
Cues:
Los niños no estaban haciendo la tarea.
The kids (Ellos) + not do + homework• The kids is plural ➔ requires weren't.
• do + ing ➔ doing.
➔ "The kids weren't doing homework."
PROMPT 3: Sleep Question
Cues:
¿Estabas durmiendo a medianoche?
you (tú) + sleep + at midnight?• Question with 'you' ➔ start with Were.
• sleep + ing ➔ sleeping.
➔ "Were you sleeping at midnight?"
PROMPT 4: When Interruption
Cues:
Me estaba bañando cuando sonó el teléfono.
I / shower + phone / ring• Long action:
I was taking a shower• Interruption:
when the phone rang (past simple).➔ "I was taking a shower when the phone rang."
⚡ Storytelling Connector 1
Interrupted Actions with WHEN
A long background action is stopped by a quick, sudden past event.
🇲🇽 Una acción que estaba en progreso es interrumpida por un evento repentino en pasado simple.Interruption Formula:
Past Continuous (Long)was / were + verb-ing
+
WHENCuando de repente...
+
Past Simple (Quick)rang, saw, fell, arrived
Example 1: Driving & Seeing an Accident
"He was driving home when he saw an accident."
🇲🇽 Él iba manejando a casa (acción larga en progreso) cuando vio un accidente (evento rápido repentino).Example 2: Walking & Meeting a Friend
"We were walking in the park when it started to rain."
🇲🇽 Estábamos caminando en el parque (acción larga) cuando empezó a llover (evento súbito).
⏳ Storytelling Connector 2
Parallel Actions with WHILE (Al Mismo Tiempo)
Two continuous actions happening at the exact same time in the past.
🇲🇽 Dos acciones continuas que estaban ocurriendo de manera simultánea en el pasado.Parallel Actions Formula:
Past Continuouswas/were + verb-ing
+
WHILEMientras que...
+
Past Continuouswas/were + verb-ing
Example 1: Studying vs Playing
"I was studying while my brother was playing video games."
🇲🇽 Yo estaba estudiando mientras mi hermano estaba jugando videojuegos.Example 2: Cooking & Washing
"While Mom was cooking, Dad was washing the dishes."
🇲🇽 Mientras mamá estaba cocinando, papá estaba lavando los platos.
⚡ Shortcut Formula
WHEN vs. WHILE in 10 Seconds
The easiest classroom trick to never confuse when and while again.
🇲🇽 El truco más fácil para saber exactamente cuándo usar 'when' y cuándo 'while'.⚡ WHEN + Past Simple (Quick)
Pon WHEN antes de la acción rápida que interrumpe:
- ...when the phone rang (cuando sonó el teléfono)
- ...when the lights went out (cuando se fue la luz)
- ...when I saw him (cuando lo vi)
⏳ WHILE + Past Continuous (-ING)
Pon WHILE antes de la acción larga en progreso:
- ...while I was cooking (mientras yo estaba cocinando)
- ...while she was studying (mientras ella estudiaba)
- ...while we were driving (mientras íbamos manejando)
💡 Classroom Golden Rule:
WHEN = Short Action (Pasado Simple) | WHILE = Long Action (Was/Were + -ING)
🎯 Practice Review 3A • Easy
Review 3A: When vs. While Connectors
Choose between When, While, or the correct verb form.
🇲🇽 Selecciona entre When, While o la forma verbal correcta.
🔥 Practice Review 3B • Moderate
Review 3B: Combining Two Verb Actions
Select the option that correctly completes both verb positions in the story.
🇲🇽 Elige la opción que complete correctamente ambos verbos de la historia.
🎯 Practice Review 4A • Sentence Building
Review 4A: Guided Sentence Assembly (Easy)
Select the sentence that follows the correct subject + was/were + verb-ing order.
🇲🇽 Elige la oración que sigue la estructura correcta paso a paso.
🔥 Practice Review 4B • Sentence Building Challenge
Review 4B: Complex Sentence Creation (Moderate)
Choose the perfect sentence based on the Mexican Spanish translation prompts.
🇲🇽 Elige la oración en inglés correcta para cada situación en español.
🏆 Master Final Exam • Part 1
Final Comprehensive Quiz: Questions 1 – 8
Fresh unseen test questions covering verbs, spelling, subjects, and sentence structure.
🇲🇽 Examen final parte 1: Preguntas nuevas para evaluar tu dominio completo.
🏆 Master Final Exam • Part 2
Final Comprehensive Quiz: Questions 9 – 16
Challenging story questions combining When, While, and complete sentence formation.
🇲🇽 Examen final parte 2: Desafíos avanzados de historias y combinación de oraciones.
🎉 Lesson 1 Complete!
Master Grammar & Sentence Cheat Sheet
All rules, formulas, and spelling tips at a single glance.
🇲🇽 Resumen general de la Lección 1.1. Subject & Auxiliary Match
Concordancia de sujeto y auxiliar
• I / He / She / It ➔ WAS + verb-ing
• You / We / They ➔ WERE + verb-ing
• Negatives: wasn't / weren't
• Questions: Was/Were + Subj + verb-ing?
• You / We / They ➔ WERE + verb-ing
• Negatives: wasn't / weren't
• Questions: Was/Were + Subj + verb-ing?
2. Connectors: When vs. While
Conectores de narración
• WHEN + Past Simple (acción rápida que interrumpe)
• WHILE + Past Continuous (acción larga en progreso)
• "I was sleeping when the phone rang."
• "While I was studying, he was cooking."
• WHILE + Past Continuous (acción larga en progreso)
• "I was sleeping when the phone rang."
• "While I was studying, he was cooking."
📗 Lesson 2 • Compare & Master
Past Simple vs. Past Continuous: The Storyteller's Battle
Mastering the Difference Between Finished Events and Ongoing Background Actions
🇲🇽 Lección 2: Aprende a distinguir con total claridad cuándo usar Pasado Simple y cuándo Pasado Continuo al narrar.
🎯
Acciones completadas en un tiempo específico del pasado.
Past Simple (Acción Terminada)
- • I cooked dinner yesterday. (Cocinó la cena ayer — acción terminada).
- • Clue words: yesterday, last night, 2 days ago, suddenly, in 2022.
⏳
Acciones que estaban ocurriendo en un momento exacto o de fondo.
Past Continuous (Acción en Proceso)
- • I was cooking dinner at 7:00 PM. (Estaba en medio de la acción de cocinar).
- • Clue words: at 8:00 PM, while, all morning, as.
💡 Master Story Combination Formula:
[Background Action (Past Continuous)] + WHEN + [Quick Interruption (Past Simple)]
"We were eating tacos when the earthquake started." (Estábamos comiendo tacos cuando empezó a temblar).
🗺️ Signal Words Map
Clue Words That Tell You Which Tense to Use
Look for these magic words in test questions and everyday conversations.
🇲🇽 Palabras clave que te dicen al instante qué tiempo verbal usar.🎯 Past Simple Clues (Pasado Simple)
| Signal Clue | Mexican Spanish Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yesterday | ayer | I bought tacos yesterday. |
| last night | anoche | She watched a movie. |
| suddenly | de repente | Suddenly, the door broke. |
| when... | cuando de repente... | ...when the alarm rang. |
⏳ Past Continuous Clues (Pasado Continuo)
| Signal Clue | Mexican Spanish Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at 8:00 PM | a las 8:00 PM en punto | I was cooking at 8:00 PM. |
| while... | mientras... | While they were driving... |
| all afternoon | toda la tarde | We were studying all afternoon. |
| as... | al momento en que... | As she was walking... |
👥 Subject Comparison Breakdown
Subject Pronoun Mapping (Spanish Underneath)
How each subject pronoun changes across Past Simple and Past Continuous.
🇲🇽 Comparación de sujetos con traducciones directas en español mexicano.Singular Subjects (Sujetos Singulares)
I
Yo
was + -ing
He
Él
was + -ing
She
Ella
was + -ing
It
Eso / Clima
was + -ing
• Past Simple: I walked / He drove / She ate / It rained.
• Past Continuous: I was walking / He was driving / She was eating / It was raining.
• Past Continuous: I was walking / He was driving / She was eating / It was raining.
Plural & You Subjects (Plurales y Segunda Persona)
You
Tú / Ustedes
were + -ing
We
Nosotros
were + -ing
They
Ellos / Ellas
were + -ing
• Past Simple: You walked / We ate / They saw.
• Past Continuous: You were walking / We were eating / They were seeing.
• Past Continuous: You were walking / We were eating / They were seeing.
🎯 Lesson 2 • Practice Review 1
Review: Choosing Between Simple vs. Continuous (Easy)
Identify which tense fits best based on context clues and meaning.
🇲🇽 Elige el tiempo verbal correcto según las pistas de tiempo y la intención.
🔥 Lesson 2 • Practice Review 2
Review: Story Sentences & Clue Matching (Moderate)
Complete real story passages by pairing the two tenses correctly.
🇲🇽 Completa las historias combinando pasado simple y continuo.
🎉 Lesson 2 Complete!
Storyteller's Comparison Cheat Sheet
Keep these 3 rules in your memory for storytelling mastery.
🇲🇽 Resumen de la Lección 2: Reglas de oro para narrar historias en inglés.1. Finished Action
Use Past Simple for events completed in the past with dates or times like yesterday, last night, 3 hours ago.
2. Ongoing Motion
Use Past Continuous (was/were + -ing) for background scenery and actions in progress at a specific moment.
3. The Interrupt Trigger
Use WHEN before the quick past simple verb, and WHILE before the continuous `-ing` action.
📙 Lesson 3 • Past Habits & Routines
Lesson 3: Used To (Solía...) & Past Habits
Talking About Things You Did in the Past That You No Longer Do Now
🇲🇽 Lección 3: Expresa hábitos del pasado que ya no haces en el presente con "Used to".Golden Formula for Past Habits:
SubjectSujeto
+
USED TOSolía...
+
BASE VERBVerbo en forma simple
Affirmative Examples (Solía...)
- • I used to live in Guadalajara. (Solía vivir en Guadalajara — ya no vivo ahí).
- • She used to play soccer every Saturday. (Ella solía jugar futbol cada sábado).
Negative Examples (No solía...)
- • I didn't use to like vegetables. (No solía comer verduras, pero ahora sí).
- • They didn't use to drink coffee. (Ellos no solían tomar café).