Nicht vergessen: Regeln sind Leitlinien – sie sind nur selten absolut.
Past Simple vs Past Progressive - Positive Sentences
We use the past simple for a finished action in the past. We use the past progressive for an action that was in progress at a certain time in the past.
Example: She walked home after work.
[Sie ging nach der Arbeit nach Hause.]
Example: She was walking home at 6 o’clock.
[Sie ging gerade um 6 Uhr nach Hause.]
1. At 8 p.m. last night, I ______ dinner. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
was cooking
a) was cooking
b) cooked
[Gestern Abend um 20 Uhr kochte ich gerade.]
2. She ______ the window an hour ago. (finished action in the past)
opened
a) was opening
b) opened
[Sie öffnete vor einer Stunde das Fenster.]
3. While the baby was sleeping, the father ______ a book. (finished action in the past)
read
a) read
b) was reading
[Während das Baby schlief, las der Vater ein Buch.]
4. At noon yesterday, they ______ in the lake. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
were swimming
a) swam
b) were swimming
[Gestern um Mittag schwammen sie gerade im See.]
5. We ______ the museum last Saturday. (finished action in the past)
visited
a) visited
b) were visiting
[Wir besuchten letzten Samstag das Museum.]
6. At 10 a.m., he ______ to his manager. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
was talking
a) talked
b) was talking
[Um 10 Uhr sprach er gerade mit seinem Chef.]
7. They ______ the email yesterday morning. (finished action in the past)
sent
a) sent
b) were sending
[Sie schickten die E-Mail gestern Morgen.]
8. At that moment, the children ______ in the garden. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
were playing
a) played
b) were playing
[In diesem Moment spielten die Kinder gerade im Garten.]
9. She ______ her homework after dinner. (finished action in the past)
finished
a) finished
b) was finishing
[Sie beendete ihre Hausaufgaben nach dem Abendessen.]
10. At 7 o’clock, we ______ for the bus. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
were waiting
a) were waiting
b) waited
[Um 7 Uhr warteten wir gerade auf den Bus.]
11. My friend ______ me last night. (finished action in the past)
called
a) was calling
b) called
[Mein Freund rief mich gestern Abend an.]
12. At 9:30, she ______ a report. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
was writing
a) was writing
b) wrote
[Um 9:30 Uhr schrieb sie gerade einen Bericht.]
13. He ______ the door when he left. (finished action in the past)
closed
a) was closing
b) closed
[Er schloss die Tür, als er ging.]
14. At that time, I ______ on the sofa. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
was sitting
a) was sitting
b) sat
[Zu dieser Zeit saß ich gerade auf dem Sofa.]
15. We ______ breakfast at 7 a.m. yesterday. (finished action in the past)
had
a) had
b) were having
[Wir frühstückten gestern um 7 Uhr.]
16. At 5 p.m., the sun ______ and the birds were singing. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
was shining
a) shone
b) was shining
[Um 17 Uhr schien gerade die Sonne und die Vögel sangen.]
17. The teacher ______ the lesson on time. (finished action in the past)
started
a) started
b) was starting
[Der Lehrer begann den Unterricht pünktlich.]
18. At midnight, many people ______ at the party. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
were dancing
a) danced
b) were dancing
[Um Mitternacht tanzten viele Leute gerade auf der Party.]
19. She ______ her keys on the table. (finished action in the past)
put
a) was putting
b) put
[Sie legte ihre Schlüssel auf den Tisch.]
20. At 6:15, I ______ my teeth. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
was brushing
a) was brushing
b) brushed
[Um 6:15 Uhr putzte ich mir gerade die Zähne.]
21. They ______ home after the film. (finished action in the past)
walked
a) walked
b) were walking
[Sie gingen nach dem Film nach Hause.]
22. At that moment, the dog ______ at the cat. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
was barking
a) was barking
b) barked
[In diesem Moment bellte der Hund gerade die Katze an.]
23. He ______ his grandparents last weekend. (finished action in the past)
visited
a) was visiting
b) visited
[Er besuchte letztes Wochenende seine Großeltern.]
24. At 11 a.m. yesterday, we ______ in the office. (action in progress at a certain time in the past)
were working
a) were working
b) worked
[Gestern um 11 Uhr arbeiteten wir gerade im Büro.]
25. I ______ my phone on the train this morning. (finished action in the past)
lost
a) was losing
b) lost
[Ich verlor heute Morgen mein Handy im Zug.]