Lektion 23: Past Continuous. Hintergrund in der Vergangenheit und seine Unterbrechung · English

Wie du mit dieser Lektion arbeitest

Lies Teil 1 — es geht um den Blick: „im Prozess" vs „punktuell".
Merk dir die Kopplung mit Past Simple — Past Continuous allein wird selten benutzt; meistens lebt es im Paar mit Past Simple.
Trainier die Matrix „Hintergrund + Unterbrechung" — die typische Erzählkonstruktion der Muttersprachler.
Merk dir die Ausnahme-Verben — die, die continuous-Form nicht mögen (know, love, see…).

Das ist die „erzählerischste" Zeit des Englischen — mit ihr werden Geschichten erzählt. Ohne sie klingt jede Geschichte trocken und punktiert.

Wichtig für dich als Deutschsprachigen: Deutsch hat kein direktes Äquivalent zum Past Continuous. Wir sagen einfach „ich las" oder „ich war beim Lesen" — das ist alles Präteritum/Perfekt. Englisch trennt die „in-Bewegung"-Sicht (was reading) klar von der punktuellen (read). Du musst dieses Sehen-im-Verlauf neu aufbauen — du hast keine deutsche Form, in die du es einfach übersetzen könntest.

Teil 1: Was ist Past Continuous

Past Continuous = „in einem Moment in der Vergangenheit WAR die Handlung im Verlauf".

Kontrast mit Past Simple:

Past Simple (Punkt)	Past Continuous (Prozess)
I read a book. — Ich las / habe ein Buch gelesen (Fakt).	I was reading a book. — Ich war beim Lesen (im Prozess).
It rained yesterday. — Es regnete gestern / hat gestern geregnet.	It was raining yesterday at 5 p.m. — Gestern um 5 regnete es (in dem Moment lief der Regen).
She lived in Paris. — Sie lebte in Paris (Lebensfakt).	She was living in Paris that summer. — In jenem Sommer wohnte sie in Paris (vorübergehend).

Hauptunterschied: Past Simple gibt einen Fakt oder eine abgeschlossene Handlung. Past Continuous „hat die Zeit angehalten" und gezeigt, dass in jenem Moment die Handlung gerade lief.

Vergleich für dich: Im Deutschen sagen wir „ich war gerade dabei zu lesen" oder „ich war am Lesen", um genau diesen Verlauf zu betonen. Das ist die nächste Annäherung an Past Continuous — aber Englisch verlangt diese Form systematisch, nicht nur zur Betonung.

Teil 2: Form — was/were + verb-ing

was / were + verb-ing

Person	was/were	+ verb-ing
I	was	reading
you	were	reading
he / she / it	was	reading
we	were	reading
they	were	reading

Dieselbe Logik wie Present Continuous (L11), nur was/were statt am/is/are.

Verneinung: wasn't / weren't. I wasn't sleeping. — Ich habe nicht geschlafen. They weren't listening. — Sie hörten nicht zu.

Frage: was/were wandert nach vorn. Were you working? — Hast du gearbeitet? What was she doing? — Was hat sie gemacht?

Rechtschreibung von verb-ing — wie bei Present Continuous:

e am Ende fällt weg: make → making, write → writing

kurzer Vokal + Konsonant → verdoppelt: run → running, sit → sitting, swim → swimming

-ie → -ying: lie → lying, die → dying

Teil 3: Drei typische Verwendungen

Typ A: Hintergrund in der Vergangenheit + punktuelles Ereignis (Past Continuous + Past Simple)

Die häufigste Verwendung. Lange Handlung lief — kurze hat sie unterbrochen.

when + Past Simple (kurze Handlung) while / as + Past Continuous (Hintergrund)

I was sleeping when the phone rang. — Ich schlief, als das Telefon klingelte. While she was cooking dinner, the doorbell rang. — Während sie das Essen kochte, klingelte es an der Tür. As we were walking home, it started to rain. — Als wir nach Hause gingen, fing es an zu regnen.

Hack für dich:

Langer Hintergrund, im Prozess → Past Continuous („was/were + ing")

Kurzes Ereignis, Punkt → Past Simple

when steht meist vor Past Simple, while/as — vor Past Continuous.

Deutsch: „Während ich kochte, klingelte es" — du übersetzt „während" intuitiv mit while, aber dahinter muss continuous-Form stehen, nicht einfach Past Simple. Das ist die Stelle, wo der Akzent rauskommt.

Typ B: Szene in der Vergangenheit — „in jenem Moment"

Beschreibung der Umgebung in einem konkreten Moment der Vergangenheit.

It was 8 p.m. The sun was setting. Children were playing in the park. A cold wind was blowing from the sea. — Es war 8 Uhr abends. Die Sonne ging unter. Kinder spielten im Park. Ein kalter Wind wehte vom Meer her.

Das ist die szenische „Kamerafahrt" — typischer Erzählanfang.

Typ C: Zwei parallele andauernde Handlungen

Beide Handlungen liefen gleichzeitig (ohne Unterbrechung).

While I was cooking, my husband was watching TV. — Während ich kochte, sah mein Mann fern. The kids were sleeping while we were talking quietly. — Die Kinder schliefen, während wir leise sprachen.

Beide Verben in Past Continuous. while — typische Verbindung.

Teil 4: when vs while vs as

Diese drei Konjunktionen werden oft verwechselt.

Konjunktion	Bedeutung	Was kommt danach
when	als, in dem Moment, als	meist Past Simple
while	während (zeitgleich mit)	meist Past Continuous
as	während / je mehr…	Past Continuous

Beispiele:

I was reading when he came in. — Ich las, als er hereinkam. While I was reading, he was watching TV. — Während ich las, sah er fern. As I was leaving, the rain started. — Als ich ging, begann es zu regnen.

Flexibilität: wenn beide Handlungen punktuell sind, gehen beide ins Past Simple, und when heißt dann „und dann": When the phone rang, I answered it. — Als das Telefon klingelte, ging ich ran. (Zwei Ereignisse nacheinander — beide Past Simple.)

Teil 5: Verben, die NICHT im Continuous benutzt werden

Eine ganze Gruppe englischer Verben „mag" die -ing-Form nicht. Das sind stative verbs — Verben des Zustands, der Wahrnehmung und des Denkens. Mit ihnen benutzen wir Past Simple, selbst wenn die Handlung sinngemäß „andauerte".

Gruppe	Verben	Beispiel
Wissen / Denken	know, believe, understand, mean, remember, forget, think (= meinen)	I knew her well. (NICHT I was knowing)
Wahrnehmung	see, hear, smell, taste, feel (ohne Handlung)	I saw a bird. (NICHT I was seeing)
Emotionen / Sympathie	like, love, hate, want, need, prefer, hope	She loved him. (NICHT She was loving him)
Besitz	have (= besitzen), own, belong	I had a car.
Sein	be (oft), seem, look (= aussehen)	He seemed tired.

Hack für die Verwirrung: think und have — beide gibt es sowohl stative als auch dynamic:

I think you're right. (= ich meine — stative)

I was thinking about you. (= ich überlegte — dynamic, continuous möglich)

I have a car. (= ich besitze — stative)

I was having a shower. (= ich duschte — dynamic)

Wortschatz dieser Lektion

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to sleep (slept)
schlafen
to read (read)
lesen
to write (wrote / written)
schreiben
to cook (cooked)
kochen
to clean (cleaned)
putzen, aufräumen
to drive (drove / driven)
fahren (Auto)
to walk (walked)
(zu Fuß) gehen
to run (ran / run)
laufen, rennen
to talk (talked)
reden
to listen (listened)
zuhören
to watch (watched)
(zu)schauen
to wait (waited)
warten
to look for
suchen
to think about
nachdenken über
to ring (rang / rung)
klingeln (Telefon, Klingel)
to knock (knocked)
klopfen
to arrive (arrived)
ankommen
to enter (entered)
hereinkommen
to leave (left)
(weg)gehen
to call (called)
anrufen
to fall (fell / fallen)
fallen
to break (broke / broken)
kaputtgehen
to start (started)
anfangen
to stop (stopped)
aufhören
to happen (happened)
passieren
to notice (noticed)
bemerken
suddenly (Adverb)
plötzlich
to realize (realized)
erkennen, begreifen
the sun was setting / rising
die Sonne ging unter / auf
it was raining / snowing
es regnete / schneite
the wind was blowing
der Wind wehte
birds were singing
Vögel sangen
people were walking
Leute gingen
traffic was moving slowly
der Verkehr floss langsam
the streets were getting empty
die Straßen leerten sich
the storm was approaching
der Sturm näherte sich
when
als, wenn
while
während
as
als / während
suddenly
plötzlich
at that moment
in dem Moment
meanwhile
inzwischen
just then
genau dann
all night / all day
die ganze Nacht / den ganzen Tag
from 7 to 9
von 7 bis 9

Französisch	Übersetzung
to sleep (slept)	schlafen
to read (read)	lesen
to write (wrote / written)	schreiben
to cook (cooked)	kochen
to clean (cleaned)	putzen, aufräumen
to drive (drove / driven)	fahren (Auto)
to walk (walked)	(zu Fuß) gehen
to run (ran / run)	laufen, rennen
to talk (talked)	reden
to listen (listened)	zuhören
to watch (watched)	(zu)schauen
to wait (waited)	warten
to look for	suchen
to think about	nachdenken über
to ring (rang / rung)	klingeln (Telefon, Klingel)
to knock (knocked)	klopfen
to arrive (arrived)	ankommen
to enter (entered)	hereinkommen
to leave (left)	(weg)gehen
to call (called)	anrufen
to fall (fell / fallen)	fallen
to break (broke / broken)	kaputtgehen
to start (started)	anfangen
to stop (stopped)	aufhören
to happen (happened)	passieren
to notice (noticed)	bemerken
suddenly (Adverb)	plötzlich
to realize (realized)	erkennen, begreifen
the sun was setting / rising	die Sonne ging unter / auf
it was raining / snowing	es regnete / schneite
the wind was blowing	der Wind wehte
birds were singing	Vögel sangen
people were walking	Leute gingen
traffic was moving slowly	der Verkehr floss langsam
the streets were getting empty	die Straßen leerten sich
the storm was approaching	der Sturm näherte sich
when	als, wenn
while	während
as	als / während
suddenly	plötzlich
at that moment	in dem Moment
meanwhile	inzwischen
just then	genau dann
all night / all day	die ganze Nacht / den ganzen Tag
from 7 to 9	von 7 bis 9

Vollständiges Wörterbuch

1,848 Einträge

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Übung 1. Past Simple oder Past Continuous?

Setze das Verb in die richtige Form:

1.I ___ (read) a book when she ___ (come) in.

2.While we ___ (have) lunch, it ___ (start) to rain.

3.At 8 p.m. yesterday, I ___ (watch) TV.

4.He ___ (drive) to work when his car ___ (break) down.

5.The kids ___ (play) in the garden while their mum ___ (cook) dinner.

6.I ___ (not / sleep) when you ___ (call).

7.What ___ you ___ (do) at this time yesterday?

8.As I ___ (walk) home, I ___ (meet) an old friend.

9.They ___ (wait) for the bus when it ___ (start) to snow.

10.The phone ___ (ring) three times while I ___ (be) in the shower.

Übung 2. Finde den Fehler

Finde den Fehler und korrigiere:

1.<say>I was knowing him for many years.</say>

2.<say>While she cooked, I watched TV.</say>

3.<say>He was having a car.</say>

4.<say>I was seeing a bird in the tree.</say>

5.<say>What you were doing yesterday?</say>

6.<say>When I was a child, I was loving chocolate.</say>

Übung 3. Vervollständige die Geschichte

Setze die Verben in Past Simple oder Past Continuous:

Yesterday evening, I (sit) at home and (watch) a film. The film (be) really interesting, and I (not / hear) the doorbell at first. Suddenly, the dog (start) to bark. I (get up) and (go) to the door. While I (open) it, the wind (blow) hard. A man (stand) outside. He (look) tired and wet because it (rain). He (ask) for help — his car (break) down on our street. I (invite) him in and (call) a mechanic.

Offene Übung — keine automatische Prüfung. Sag die Antworten laut und mach weiter.

Übung 4. Übersetze ins Englische

1.Ich habe geschlafen, als das Telefon klingelte.

2.Was hast du gestern um 7 Uhr abends gemacht?

3.Als wir hereinkamen, spielten die Kinder auf dem Boden.

4.Während ich Abendessen kochte, sah mein Mann Nachrichten.

5.Es regnete, und ein starker Wind wehte.

6.Sie fuhr zur Arbeit, als ihr Auto eine Panne hatte.

7.Ich hörte nicht zu, als die Lehrerin erklärte.

8.Als ich ein Kind war, habe ich in München gewohnt.

9.Genau als wir gingen, fing es an zu regnen.

10.Inzwischen warteten die Gäste im Wohnzimmer.

Übung 5. Szenische Beschreibung

Beschreibe eine Szene: „Es war Abend. Draußen…" — 5–7 Sätze, alles im Past Continuous. Nutze die szenische Vokabel-Liste.

Offene Übung — keine automatische Prüfung. Sag die Antworten laut und mach weiter.

Übung 6. Read aloud — Erzählung mit Hintergrund

Lies laut, mit Pausen an den richtigen Stellen:

Last night, I was driving home from work. It was raining hard, and I was listening to the radio. Suddenly, my phone rang. I pulled over and answered. It was my sister. She was calling from the airport. While she was talking, her flight was being announced. We said goodbye quickly.

Offene Übung — keine automatische Prüfung. Sag die Antworten laut und mach weiter.

Mehr Übung gewünscht? Claude erstellt aus Wortschatz und Thema dieser Lektion eine frische Übung mit 10 Aufgaben.

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Hörtexte

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Text A

Hörtext zu Lektion 23: Past Continuous

🔊 Audio-Praxis ↗

Yesterday evening I was sitting at home.
I was reading a good book.
My wife was working on her laptop.
The children were doing their homework.
The cat was sleeping on the sofa.
The dog was lying near the door.
It was raining hard outside.
The wind was blowing through the trees.
Suddenly, the lights went off.
The whole street was dark.
We were looking for candles.
The children were laughing in the dark.
My wife was searching in a drawer.
I was checking my phone for news.
After ten minutes, the lights came back.
We were all relieved.
I made some tea while my wife was cooking dinner.
The children were watching cartoons.
The cat was still sleeping in the same place.
The dog was waiting for his food.
While we were eating, the rain stopped.
The sky was clearing up.
A bright moon was rising.
We were finishing our dessert when a friend called.
He was driving home and saw the lights on.
We invited him in for coffee.
While we were drinking coffee, we were talking about the storm.
He was telling stories about other power cuts.
The children were listening with big eyes.
It was a quiet and happy evening.

Text B

Hörtext zu Lektion 23: Past Continuous

🔊 Audio-Praxis ↗

Last Friday I was driving home from work.
It was already dark and very cold.
The road was wet from the morning rain.
I was listening to my favourite music.
I was thinking about my weekend plans.
Suddenly, a black cat ran across the road.
I braked hard but the car was sliding.
Another driver was coming the other way.
He was honking and flashing his lights.
I managed to stop just in time.
The other car stopped right behind me.
We were both shaking from the shock.
The man got out and walked towards me.
He was wearing a long coat and a hat.
He asked if I was okay.
I told him I was fine, but my heart was beating fast.
We were standing in the middle of the road.
Other cars were passing us slowly.
The cat was sitting on the pavement.
It was looking at us calmly.
A police car arrived a few minutes later.
The officer was asking us questions.
While he was writing his report, the rain started again.
We were all getting wet.
The officer let us go after fifteen minutes.
I drove home slowly, my hands still shaking.
When I got home, my wife was waiting for me.
She was making dinner and listening to the radio.
I told her the whole story over dinner.
We agreed that I was lucky that night.

Text C

Hörtext zu Lektion 23: Past Continuous

🔊 Audio-Praxis ↗

It was a warm Sunday in May.
The sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly.
I was walking in the park near my house.
Many people were enjoying the good weather.
Children were running and laughing.
Their parents were watching them from the benches.
A young couple was sitting under a tree.
They were reading a book together.
An old man was feeding the pigeons.
The pigeons were jumping around his feet.
Two girls were riding their bikes on the path.
They were singing a song from a film.
A man was throwing a ball to his dog.
The dog was running and barking happily.
By the pond, some teenagers were taking photos.
They were trying funny poses for their pictures.
A street musician was playing the guitar.
A small group was listening and clapping.
I was walking slowly and looking around.
Then it started to get cloudy.
The wind was getting stronger.
People were quickly packing their bags.
Mothers were calling their children.
The musician was putting his guitar away.
The first drops of rain were falling.
Everyone was running towards the gates.
I was running too, towards a small cafe.
Inside, other visitors were already drinking tea.
We were all watching the storm through the window.
After half an hour, the sun was shining again.

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Sprachtonleiter

Tonleiter 1 — was reading im Moment des Anrufs

I was reading when the phone rang. You were reading when the phone rang. He was reading when the phone rang. She was reading when the phone rang. We were reading when the phone rang. They were reading when the phone rang.

Tonleiter 2 — parallele Handlungen

While I was cooking, my brother was watching TV. While you were cooking, your brother was watching TV. While she was cooking, her brother was watching TV. While we were cooking, our brother was watching TV. While they were cooking, their brother was watching TV.

Tonleiter 3 — Verneinung

I wasn't sleeping. You weren't sleeping. He wasn't sleeping. We weren't sleeping. They weren't sleeping.

Tonleiter 4 — Frage

What were you doing at 8 p.m.? What was she doing at 8 p.m.? What were they doing at 8 p.m.?

Sprachmatrix

Matrix 1 — Hintergrund + Unterbrechung

Question	Answer
What were you doing when I called?	I was having dinner.
What was she doing when you arrived?	She was watching TV.
What were they doing when the storm started?	They were walking in the park.
What was he doing when the boss came in?	He was checking his phone.

Matrix 2 — in einem konkreten Moment

Question	Answer
What were you doing at 7 yesterday?	I was driving home.
What were you doing this morning at 9?	I was working at my computer.
What were you doing all evening?	I was preparing for an exam.
What were you doing during the meeting?	I was taking notes.

Matrix 3 — when / while

Question	Answer
When did the lights go out?	While we were having dinner.
When did you see her?	While I was waiting for the bus.
When did the accident happen?	While the children were playing in the street.

FORM:
  was / were + verb-ing
  I was reading.            They were sleeping.
  Was she working?          Weren't you listening?

DEUTSCH HAT KEINE ÄQUIVALENT-FORM:
  „Ich las" / „Ich war am Lesen"  →  alles Past Simple im Deutschen
  Englisch trennt: I read (Punkt) / I was reading (Verlauf)
  Du musst diese Sicht NEU AUFBAUEN.

DREI VERWENDUNGEN:

A. Hintergrund + Unterbrechung (HÄUFIGSTE):
   I was sleeping WHEN the phone rang.
   WHILE I was cooking, the doorbell rang.
   AS we were walking home, it started to rain.

   Langer Hintergrund → Past Continuous
   Kurze Unterbrechung → Past Simple
   when meist mit Past Simple, while/as — mit Past Continuous

B. Szene in einem Moment der Vergangenheit:
   At 8 p.m. yesterday, the sun was setting and children
   were playing in the park.

C. Zwei parallele andauernde:
   While I was cooking, my husband was watching TV.

AUSNAHMEN — STATIVE VERBS (kein -ing):
  know, believe, understand, remember, mean, think (= meinen)
  see, hear, smell, taste, feel
  like, love, hate, want, need, prefer
  have (= besitzen), own, belong
  be, seem, look (= aussehen)

  Damit — Past Simple, auch wenn die Handlung sinngemäß „lief".
  ✗ I was knowing him for years   ✓ I knew him for years

WHEN vs WHILE vs AS:
  when    — meist vor Past Simple („und dann")
  while   — meist vor Past Continuous („während")
  as      — meist vor Past Continuous („als, während")

-ING-RECHTSCHREIBUNG:
  e fällt weg:           write → writing, make → making
  Konsonant verdoppelt:  run → running, sit → sitting
  -ie → -ying:           lie → lying, die → dying

Nächster Schritt: Lektion 24 — Present Perfect Continuous. Handlung begann in der Vergangenheit, dauert bis jetzt an, Fokus auf dem Prozess selbst. Kombination aus Perfect (L21) und Continuous (L23). Auch dafür hat Deutsch keine Form — wieder Neuland.

Nächste Lektion:Lektion 24: Present Perfect Continuous. Andauernde Aktivität bis jetzt