PastSimple & Past Continuous-1
Past Progressive vs Past Perfect Progressive
Past Progressive vs Past Perfect Progressive Exercises (1–25)
Choose the correct tense and the meaning
Use past progressive for an action that was in progress at a moment in the past. Use past perfect progressive for an action that had been continuing before another past moment.
Click on the blank to reveal the correct verb form. Then choose what the sentence means:
A = action at that moment
B = action before that moment (duration)
C = both
1. I ______was working when he called.
A: Action at that moment
B: Action before that moment (duration)
C: Both
2. I ______had been working for two hours when he called.
C: Both
B: Action before that moment (duration)
A: Action at that moment
3. She ______was sleeping when the alarm rang.
B: Action before that moment (duration)
A: Action at that moment
C: Both
4. She ______had been sleeping for hours before the alarm rang.
B: Action before that moment (duration)
A: Action at that moment
C: Both
5. They ______were waiting when the bus arrived.
A: Action at that moment
C: Both
B: Action before that moment (duration)
6. They ______had been waiting for 30 minutes when the bus arrived.
A: Action at that moment
B: Action before that moment (duration)
C: Both
7. He ______was studying when I entered the room.
C: Both
A: Action at that moment
B: Action before that moment (duration)
8. He ______had been studying for three hours when I entered the room.
B: Action before that moment (duration)
C: Both
A: Action at that moment
9. We ______were watching TV when the lights went out.
B: Action before that moment (duration)
C: Both
A: Action at that moment
10. We ______had been watching TV for a while when the lights went out.
C: Both
A: Action at that moment
B: Action before that moment (duration)
11. She ______was running when it started to rain.
A: Action at that moment
B: Action before that moment (duration)
C: Both
12. She ______had been running for an hour when it started to rain.
B: Action before that moment (duration)
A: Action at that moment
C: Both
13. I ______was driving when I saw the accident.
C: Both
A: Action at that moment
B: Action before that moment (duration)
14. I ______had been driving for a long time when I saw the accident.
A: Action at that moment
C: Both
B: Action before that moment (duration)
15. They ______were talking when the teacher came in.
A: Action at that moment
C: Both
B: Action before that moment (duration)
16. They ______had been talking for hours when the teacher came in.
B: Action before that moment (duration)
C: Both
A: Action at that moment
17. He ______was playing football when he hurt his leg.
B: Action before that moment (duration)
A: Action at that moment
C: Both
18. He ______had been playing football for hours when he hurt his leg.
C: Both
B: Action before that moment (duration)
A: Action at that moment
19. I ______was cleaning when she arrived.
A: Action at that moment
B: Action before that moment (duration)
C: Both
20. I ______had been cleaning the house for two hours when she arrived.
B: Action before that moment (duration)
A: Action at that moment
C: Both
21. We ______were walking when we saw the dog.
C: Both
A: Action at that moment
B: Action before that moment (duration)
22. We ______had been walking for miles when we saw the dog.
A: Action at that moment
B: Action before that moment (duration)
C: Both
23. She ______was cooking when I got home.
B: Action before that moment (duration)
C: Both
A: Action at that moment
24. She ______had been cooking for a while when I got home.
B: Action before that moment (duration)
C: Both
A: Action at that moment
25. He ______was working when the boss arrived.
A: Action at that moment
C: Both
B: Action before that moment (duration)
Past Simple vs Past Perfect Exercises
Past Simple vs Past Perfect Rules and Practice
Learn when to use the past simple and when to use the past perfect
We use past simple for a finished action in the past.
Example: I arrived at the station.
[Ich kam am Bahnhof an.]
We use past perfect for an action that happened before another past action.
Example: The train had left before I arrived.
[Der Zug war abgefahren, bevor ich ankam.]
For German speakers:
Past Perfect = Plusquamperfekt → shows the earlier action
Past Simple = Präteritum/Perfekt → shows the later action
Simple timeline:
Past Perfect ─────────► Past Simple
Signal words:
before – after – when – by the time – already
These help you decide which action happened first.
[Diese helfen dir zu erkennen, welche Handlung zuerst passiert ist.]
1. When I arrived, the film ______.
had started
a) started
b) had started
[Als ich ankam, hatte der Film schon begonnen.]
Rule: Use past perfect for the earlier action before a past action.
2. After she ______ dinner, she went out.
had finished
a) had finished
b) finished
[Nachdem sie gegessen hatte, ging sie aus.]
Rule: Use past perfect for the first action and past simple for the later action.
3. He ______ the door and left the house.
closed
a) had closed
b) closed
[Er schloss die Tür und verließ das Haus.]
Rule: Use past simple for two finished actions in sequence.
4. They ______ the work before the boss arrived.
had completed
a) had completed
b) completed
[Sie hatten die Arbeit erledigt, bevor der Chef ankam.]
Rule: Use past perfect with “before” to show the earlier completed action.
5. We ______ him yesterday at the meeting.
met
a) met
b) had met
[Wir trafen ihn gestern beim Meeting.]
Rule: Use past simple with a finished past time like “yesterday”.
6. By the time the train arrived, we ______ for 20 minutes.
had waited
a) waited
b) had waited
[Als der Zug ankam, hatten wir schon 20 Minuten gewartet.]
Rule: Use past perfect with “by the time” for the action that was already complete.
7. She was happy because she ______ the exam.
had passed
a) had passed
b) passed
[Sie war glücklich, weil sie die Prüfung bestanden hatte.]
Rule: Use past perfect for the earlier cause of a past feeling or reaction.
8. I ______ my keys and couldn’t open the door.
lost
a) had lost
b) lost
[Ich verlor meine Schlüssel und konnte die Tür nicht öffnen.]
Rule: Use past simple for two connected finished past actions in sequence.
9. After they ______ the problem, they called the manager.
had discussed
a) had discussed
b) discussed
[Nachdem sie das Problem besprochen hatten, riefen sie den Manager an.]
Rule: Use past perfect after “after” when one past action happened first.
10. He ______ home late last night.
came
a) came
b) had come
[Er kam gestern Abend spät nach Hause.]
Rule: Use past simple with a clear finished past time expression.
11. When we got to the airport, the plane ______.
had already left
a) left
b) had already left
[Als wir am Flughafen ankamen, war das Flugzeug schon abgeflogen.]
Rule: Use past perfect for the earlier action before “when” plus past simple.
12. She ______ the email and replied immediately.
read
a) read
b) had read
[Sie las die E-Mail und antwortete sofort.]
Rule: Use past simple for two finished actions that happened one after the other.
13. By the time I called him, he ______ already.
had left
a) had left
b) left
[Als ich ihn anrief, war er schon gegangen.]
Rule: Use past perfect for the action completed before another past action.
14. We ______ dinner at 8 p.m. yesterday.
had
a) had
b) had had
[Wir hatten gestern um 20 Uhr Abendessen.]
Rule: Use past simple for a single finished action at a specific past time.
15. After she ______ the book, she returned it.
had finished
a) finished
b) had finished
[Nachdem sie das Buch gelesen hatte, gab sie es zurück.]
Rule: Use past perfect for the earlier completed action before the later past action.
16. They ______ football last weekend.
played
a) played
b) had played
[Sie spielten letztes Wochenende Fußball.]
Rule: Use past simple with a finished time like “last weekend”.
17. By the time we arrived, they ______ everything.
had prepared
a) prepared
b) had prepared
[Als wir ankamen, hatten sie schon alles vorbereitet.]
Rule: Use past perfect when something was finished before another past moment.
18. He ______ the report and sent it.
finished
a) finished
b) had finished
[Er beendete den Bericht und schickte ihn ab.]
Rule: Use past simple for a normal sequence of finished past actions.
19. When I woke up, I realised I ______ my phone at work.
had left
a) had left
b) left
[Als ich aufwachte, bemerkte ich, dass ich mein Handy bei der Arbeit gelassen hatte.]
Rule: Use past perfect for the earlier action discovered later in the past.
20. She ______ me last night.
called
a) had called
b) called
[Sie rief mich gestern Abend an.]
Rule: Use past simple with a definite finished past time.
21. After we ______ the tickets, we went inside.
had bought
a) had bought
b) bought
[Nachdem wir die Tickets gekauft hatten, gingen wir hinein.]
Rule: Use past perfect for the action completed before the next past action.
22. They ______ the problem quickly.
solved
a) solved
b) had solved
[Sie lösten das Problem schnell.]
Rule: Use past simple for one finished action in the past.
23. By the time the meeting started, we ______ all the documents.
had prepared
a) prepared
b) had prepared
[Als das Meeting begann, hatten wir alle Dokumente vorbereitet.]
Rule: Use past perfect for an action finished before another past event.
24. He ______ to Berlin in 2022.
moved
a) moved
b) had moved
[Er zog 2022 nach Berlin.]
Rule: Use past simple with a specific finished year in the past.
25. When she arrived, we ______ dinner already.
had finished
a) had finished
b) finished
[Als sie ankam, hatten wir schon gegessen.]
Rule: Use past perfect for the action that happened before the arrival.
Past Simple vs Past Perfect Exercises
English Grammar Exercise: Simple Past and Present Perfect
Click the blank space to reveal the correct answer and review the options.
1. When I arrived, she ______ (leave). ______. had left
A: She left after I arrived. [Sie ging, nachdem ich ankam.]
B: She left before I arrived. [Sie war gegangen, bevor ich ankam.]
C: Both
2. After he ______ (finish) work, he went home. ______. finished
A: He finished work before going home. [Er beendete die Arbeit, bevor er nach Hause ging.]
B: He went home before finishing work. [Er ging nach Hause, bevor er die Arbeit beendete.]
C: Both
3. After he ______ (finish) work, he went home. ______. had finished
A: He finished work before going home. [Er hatte die Arbeit beendet, bevor er nach Hause ging.]
B: He went home before finishing work. [Er ging nach Hause, bevor er die Arbeit beendete.]
C: Both
4. She was tired because she ______ (work) all day. ______. worked
A: She worked before she was tired. [Sie arbeitete, bevor sie müde war.]
B: She became tired before she worked. [Sie wurde müde, bevor sie arbeitete.]
C: Both
5. She was tired because she ______ (work) all day. ______. had worked
A: She worked before she was tired. [Sie hatte gearbeitet, bevor sie müde war.]
B: She became tired before she worked. [Sie wurde müde, bevor sie arbeitete.]
C: Both
6. When I got there, they ______ (start) eating. ______. started
A: They started after I got there. [Sie begannen, nachdem ich ankam.]
B: They started before I got there. [Sie begannen, bevor ich ankam.]
C: Both
7. When I got there, they ______ (start) eating. ______. had started
A: They started after I got there. [Sie begannen, nachdem ich ankam.]
B: They started before I got there. [Sie hatten begonnen, bevor ich ankam.]
C: Both
8. Before she ______ (go) out, she locked the door. ______. went
A: She locked the door before going out. [Sie schloss die Tür ab, bevor sie ausging.]
B: She went out before locking the door. [Sie ging hinaus, bevor sie die Tür abschloss.]
C: Both
9. Before she ______ (go) out, she locked the door. ______. had gone
A: She locked the door before going out. [Sie hatte die Tür abgeschlossen, bevor sie ausging.]
B: She went out before locking the door. [Sie ging hinaus, bevor sie die Tür abschloss.]
C: Both
10. I realized I ______ (forget) my phone. ______. had forgotten
A: I forgot my phone before I realized it. [Ich hatte mein Handy vergessen, bevor ich es bemerkte.]
B: I realized it before forgetting my phone. [Ich bemerkte es, bevor ich mein Handy vergaß.]
C: Both
11. I realized I ______ (forget) my phone. ______. forgot
A: I forgot my phone before I realized it. [Ich vergaß mein Handy, bevor ich es bemerkte.]
B: I realized it before forgetting my phone. [Ich bemerkte es, bevor ich mein Handy vergaß.]
C: Both
12. He ______ (already finish) when I arrived. ______. had already finished
A: He finished before I arrived. [Er hatte schon fertig gemacht, bevor ich ankam.]
B: He finished after I arrived. [Er machte fertig, nachdem ich ankam.]
C: Both
13. He ______ (finish) when I arrived. ______. finished
A: He finished before I arrived. [Er machte fertig, bevor ich ankam.]
B: He finished after I arrived. [Er machte fertig, nachdem ich ankam.]
C: Both
14. After we ______ (eat), we watched a film. ______. ate
A: We ate before watching the film. [Wir aßen, bevor wir den Film sahen.]
B: We watched the film before eating. [Wir sahen den Film, bevor wir aßen.]
C: Both
15. After we ______ (eat), we watched a film. ______. had eaten
A: We ate before watching the film. [Wir hatten gegessen, bevor wir den Film sahen.]
B: We watched the film before eating. [Wir sahen den Film, bevor wir aßen.]
C: Both
16. When she arrived, I ______ (leave). ______. left
A: I left after she arrived. [Ich ging, nachdem sie ankam.]
B: I left before she arrived. [Ich ging, bevor sie ankam.]
C: Both
17. When she arrived, I ______ (leave). ______. had left
A: I left after she arrived. [Ich ging, nachdem sie ankam.]
B: I left before she arrived. [Ich war gegangen, bevor sie ankam.]
C: Both
18. Because he ______ (miss) the bus, he was late. ______. missed
A: He missed the bus before he was late. [Er verpasste den Bus, bevor er zu spät war.]
B: He was late before missing the bus. [Er war zu spät, bevor er den Bus verpasste.]
C: Both
19. Because he ______ (miss) the bus, he was late. ______. had missed
A: He missed the bus before he was late. [Er hatte den Bus verpasst, bevor er zu spät war.]
B: He was late before missing the bus. [Er war zu spät, bevor er den Bus verpasste.]
C: Both
20. I ______ (never see) that before I visited the museum. ______. had never seen
A: I saw it before visiting the museum. [Ich hatte es gesehen, bevor ich das Museum besuchte.]
B: I did not see it before visiting the museum. [Ich hatte es nicht gesehen, bevor ich das Museum besuchte.]
C: Both
21. I ______ (never see) that before I visited the museum. ______. never saw
A: I saw it before visiting the museum. [Ich sah es, bevor ich das Museum besuchte.]
B: I did not see it before visiting the museum. [Ich sah es nicht, bevor ich das Museum besuchte.]
C: Both
22. By the time we arrived, the film ______ (start). ______. had started
A: The film started before we arrived. [Der Film hatte begonnen, bevor wir ankamen.]
B: The film started after we arrived. [Der Film begann, nachdem wir ankamen.]
C: Both
23. By the time we arrived, the film ______ (start). ______. started
A: The film started before we arrived. [Der Film begann, bevor wir ankamen.]
B: The film started after we arrived. [Der Film begann, nachdem wir ankamen.]
C: Both
24. After they ______ (build) the house, they sold it. ______. built
A: They built the house before selling it. [Sie bauten das Haus, bevor sie es verkauften.]
B: They sold it before building the house. [Sie verkauften es, bevor sie das Haus bauten.]
C: Both
25. After they ______ (build) the house, they sold it. ______. had built
A: They built the house before selling it. [Sie hatten das Haus gebaut, bevor sie es verkauften.]
B: They sold it before building the house. [Sie verkauften es, bevor sie das Haus bauten.]
C: Both