Gramática

1.- Past simple

El "past simple" describe una acción pasada ya finalizada.

When I was young I lived in Madrid (ahora vivo en Barcelona)

2.- Past continuous

Indica que una acción se estaba desarrollando en cierto momento

del pasado al cual se hace referencia. No dice si la acción ya finalizó o
todavía continuaba.

When the mother came home her husband was playing with the kids (no
sabemos si terminó de jugar en ese momento o continuó jugando)

A veces se describen dos acciones simultáneas que tuvieron lugar en el

pasado. En dicho caso, se utiliza el "past imple" para describir aquella que
finalizó y el "past continuous" para aquella otra que estaba ocurriendo
cuando la primera tuvo lugar.

Yesterday evening when you called me I was having a shower

When the parents arrived home the children were watching TV

Otra diferencia entre ambos tiempos es que el "past continuous" se utiliza a

veces para indicar que la acción es más casual, menos planificada.

Yesterday morning, from 8 to 10, I was running (algo rutinario, que suelo
hacer con frecuencia, por lo que no lo resalto)

Yesterday morning, from 8 to 10, I ran (algo diferente, un tanto

extraordinario, por lo que quiero destacarlo)

1) Last Saturday when my brother arrived, I was watching TV

2) The police arrested the murderer when he was attacking an old
woman
3) My uncle lost all his fortune playing in casinos
4) Yesterday it rained all day and the river almost burst its banks
5) Last night when I left the party two gangs of hooligans were fighting
6) They finished the new bridge in time for the Olympic Games
7) Last Friday my father went to Paris to visit my brother who works there
8) My girlfriend didn't come with us to the cinema because she was
studying
9) When the teacher entered the classroom the students were speaking
very loudly
10)That terrible accident happened yesterday evening
11)Last night when the thieves broke into my house I was sleeping
12)My parents got married in the Cathedral of Seville 40 years ago
13)The Socialist Party won the last elections and is now in power
14)The other day when I was playing tennis I hurt my leg
15)Philip died at home in very strange circumstances
16)Susan studied Law in the university of Madrid
17)Yesterday when you came home I was walking the dog
18)The plane crashed into the mountains due to the weather conditions
19)He arrived late at the station and missed his train
20)The mother went to calm her little baby because she was crying
21)My neighbour had a heart attack last year and still hasn't fully
recovered
22)This morning while my friends played football I was doing my
homework
23)Last summer we went to the south of Spain for our holiday
24)Yesterday night it was raining when we left the Theatre
25)This morning the dog attacked the postman when he was delivering
the mail