Past Continous

Category
Basic Grammar
Premium
Keyword #
-고 있었다, 과거진행형
Lesson
53

TL;DR

  • The past continuous tense (-고 있었다) describes actions that were in progress at a specific point in the past 📹
  • Form it by combining the verb stem + -고 있었다, which literally means "was doing" or "were doing" ⏰
  • This tense emphasizes the ongoing nature of past actions, similar to "I was eating" instead of "I ate" 🎬

What is the Past Continuous? 🤔

The past continuous tense tells us what someone was doing at a specific moment in the past. It's like hitting pause on a video of the past and describing what was happening right at that frozen moment! 📸

How to Form It 🔨

Take any action verb, remove 다, and add -고 있었다 ✨
Verb stem + -고 있었다
→ 먹다 (to eat) → 먹고 있었다 (was eating)
→ 자다 (to sleep) → 자고 있었다 (was sleeping)
→ 공부하다 (to study) → 공부하고 있었다 (was studying)
→ 걷다 (to walk) → 걷고 있었다 (was walking)

When to Use It ⏰

Use the past continuous when you want to emphasize that an action was in progress during a specific time in the past 🎯
→ 어제 이 시간에 영화를 보고 있었어요 (I was watching a movie at this time yesterday)
→ 친구가 왔을 때 요리하고 있었어요 (I was cooking when my friend came)
→ 그때 뭐 하고 있었어요? (What were you doing at that time?)
→ 비가 올 때 집에서 쉬고 있었어요 (I was resting at home when it rained)

Past Continuous vs Simple Past 🆚

Sometimes both are possible, but they have different nuances! 💡
Simple past = Completed action 🏁
→ 어제 책을 읽었어요 (I read a book yesterday)
Past continuous = Action in progress 🔄
→ 어제 책을 읽고 있었어요 (I was reading a book yesterday)
The past continuous emphasizes the ongoing nature of the action! 🌊

Polite vs Casual Forms 👔

Just like other Korean verb forms, you can adjust the politeness level! 🎚️
Polite (formal): -고 있었습니다
→ 회의하고 있었습니다 (I was having a meeting)
Polite (informal): -고 있었어요
→ 운동하고 있었어요 (I was exercising)
Casual: -고 있었어
→ 게임하고 있었어 (I was playing games)

Common Mistakes to Avoid ⚠️

Don't confuse -고 있었다 (past continuous) with -고 있다 (present continuous)! 🚫
→ 지금 먹고 있어요 (I am eating now) ✅ Present
→ 그때 먹고 있었어요 (I was eating at that time) ✅ Past

Extra Examples 🌟

→ 전화했을 때 샤워하고 있었어요 (I was taking a shower when you called)
→ 그 사람은 혼자 울고 있었어요 (That person was crying alone)
→ 우리는 공원에서 산책하고 있었어요 (We were walking in the park)
→ 아이들이 밖에서 놀고 있었어요 (The children were playing outside)
→ 엄마가 부엌에서 노래하고 있었어요 (Mom was singing in the kitchen)

Exceptions 🎭

There are no major exceptions to this grammar pattern! 🎉
This structure works consistently with all action verbs. Just remember that you can't use it with descriptive verbs (adjectives) like 예쁘다 or 크다, since they describe states rather than actions! 💫
 
Try the following exercise.
Fill in the blanks with '-고 있었다' to describe what was happening. 📝
 
  • 어제 저녁 7시에 저는 드라마를 _.
      • Answer
      보고 있었어요
 
 
  • 친구가 전화했을 때 나는 샤워를 _.
      • Answer
      하고 있었어요
 
 
  • 엄마가 들어오셨을 때 동생은 게임을 _.
      • Answer
      하고 있었어요
 
 
  • 아침 8시에 우리는 학교에 _.
      • Answer
      가고 있었어요
 
 
  • 비가 오기 시작했을 때 아이들은 공원에서 _.
      • Answer
      놀고 있었어요
 
 
  • 선생님이 오셨을 때 학생들은 떠들고 _.
      • Answer
      있었어요
 
 
  • 그때 나는 도서관에서 한국어를 _.
      • Answer
      공부하고 있었어요
 
 
  • 오후 3시쯤 할머니는 낮잠을 _.
      • Answer
      주무시고 있었어요 / 자고 있었어요
 
 
  • 내가 집에 왔을 때 고양이는 소파에서 _.
      • Answer
      자고 있었어요
 
 
  • 10년 전에 저는 서울에서 _.
      • Answer
      살고 있었어요
 
Vocabulary
드라마 - drama (TV series)
샤워 - shower
게임 - game
떠들다 - to chatter, be noisy
도서관 - library
낮잠 - nap
주무시다 - to sleep (honorific)
고양이 - cat
소파 - sofa
Common mistakes
  • 🚫 Don't forget to use the past tense form '있었다', not '있어요' - you're describing what was happening, not what is happening
  • ⚠️ Remember to conjugate the verb stem correctly before adding '-고 있었다' (e.g., 가다 → 가고 있었어요)
  • 💡 Use this form to describe actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past, not completed actions
  • ✏️ When using honorifics (like 주무시다), make sure to maintain the honorific form throughout: 주무시고 있었어요