Past Continuous Questions for the ESL Classroom

In this post, you will find lots past continuous questions which can be really helpful in the ESL classroom.

Past continuous questions can be divided into:

  • Open Questions
  • Closed Questions

Now let’s check the structure to make those two types of questions


Closed Questions with the Past Continuous

This is the structure to make open questions with the past continuous

Were / WasyouVerb + ingComplement + ?
Wereyou doingexercises?
Wasshe playing soccer?

These questions can be answer by saying yes or no.

  • Were you playing soccer?
  • Yes, I was
  • No, I wasn’t
  • Was she shopping something on Amazon?
  • Yes, I was
  • No, I wasn’t

Now let’s check open questions with the past continuous

Open Questions with the Past Continuous

This is the structure to make open questions with the past continuous

Wh-QuestionWere / WasyouVerb + ing
WhatWereyou doing?
WhereWasshe playing?

To answer these questions, you need to provide the information which was requested

  • What were you doing?
  • I was cooking dinner
  • Who were you talking?
  • I was talking to my boyfriend

Past Continuous Questions: General

These are some general questions using the past continuous

  1. What were you doing?
  2. Who were you talking to?
  3. Who were you calling?
  4. What were you doing last night?
  5. Where were you going?
  6. Where was she going?
  7. Where are they going?

Past Continuous Questions: Entertainment

These are some questions about entertainment

  1. What music were you listening to?
  2. What song were you listening to?
  3. What movie were you watching?
  4. What games were you watching?
  5. Who were you playing video games with?
  6. Were you playing Among Us
  7. Were you playing call of duty?

Past Continuous Questions: Sports

These are some questions about sports

  1. Were you playing basketball?
  2. Were you playing soccer?
  3. Were you watching the game?
  4. Were you betting on sports again?
  5. What sports were you playing?

Past Continuous Questions: School

These are some questions about school

  1. Were you preparing for a test?
  2. Were you taking an English class?
  3. Were you taking a test?
  4. What class were you taking?
  5. What were you studying?
  6. What test were you preparing for?

Related Posts

These are some posts that you might want to check

  1. 100 Questions about Love: Dating and Marriage
  2. 100 Questions about Music for the ESL Classroom
  3. 40 Questions about Pollution for the ESL Classroom
  4. 15 Questions about the Solar System
  5. 100 Questions about Movies for the ESL Classroom
  6. 50 Questions about Sports for the ESL Classroom
  7. 100 Questions about Movies for the ESL Classroom
Manuel Campos, English Professor

Manuel Campos

Hi, I am Manuel Campos, The Professor behind GatherLessons.com. I am from Costa Rica and I currently teach English at UTN