Shadowing Practice: How to Use Past Simple & Past Continuous in Real English Conversations - Learn English Speaking with Video
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483 sentences
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Michael, I really need to ask you about past simple and past continuous.
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Oh?
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Tell me.
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What is confusing you exactly?
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Honestly, I don't understand when to use them in a story.
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Ah, I see.
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You are confused about past simple versus past continuous, right?
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Exactly.
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Yesterday, I tried to tell a funny story at work, and it was a disaster.
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What happened?
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I said, when my boss called me, I slept.
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Everyone looked at me like I was crazy.
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Yes, I see the problem.
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But don't worry, that is a very common mistake.
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Listen carefully, stop guessing, and please stop memorizing long grammar charts.
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Today, you will finally understand the difference between past simple and past continuous with simple logic.
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But before we start, A quick request for our amazing viewers.
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Please support us.
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Like this video and subscribe to the channel.
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Done.
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That sounds fair.
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Now please teach me.
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All right, Olivia.
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Let's look at your funny mistake from today.
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Oh, my disastrous story?
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Please be gentle.
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You told your colleagues, when my boss called me, I slept.
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Yeah, and they laughed.
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Was it really that bad?
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Well, it sounded very strange to their ears. But why?
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Both actions happened in the past.
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True, but in English, we have to show the shape of the action.
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The shape of the action?
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What does that mean?
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Imagine a camera.
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One tense is like a long video.
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Okay, a long, continuous video.
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And the other tense is just a quick photograph.
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Click.
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A quick photograph?
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Wow, I love this camera idea.
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So, when you said, I slept, you used a quick photograph.
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Oh, like sleeping takes only one second?
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Exactly.
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It sounded like you instantly fell asleep the exact moment he called.
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Like his voice was a magic sleeping spell.
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Precisely.
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Like, hello, Olivia, and boom, you're asleep on the floor.
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Oh my goodness, that is hilarious.
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Now I understand why they laughed.
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Because you used the wrong camera mode for sleeping.
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Sleeping is definitely a long video, not a quick photo.
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Spot on.
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Sleeping takes time.
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It is a long background action.
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So I needed the video tense.
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Exactly.
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And today we will master both camera modes.
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I am so ready.
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Give me the video camera first.
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Let's start with the video camera, the past continuous tense.
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Okay, the video camera.
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How do I use it?
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We use this tense for a long, continuous action in the past.
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Like something taking a lot of time?
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Yes, it is the background of your story.
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It sets the scene.
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Setting the scene, like the beginning of a movie?
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Exactly.
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Imagine a movie starting.
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What is happening on the screen?
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Hmm.
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The sun is shining.
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People are walking.
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Perfect.
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But let's put it in the past.
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The sun was shining.
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Oh, people were walking.
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You got it.
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You use was or were plus the ing form of the verb. Was shining. Were walking.
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Because it is a flowing video.
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Exactly.
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The action is flowing.
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It is in progress.
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So, back to my terrible story about my boss.
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Yes.
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What were you doing before the phone rang?
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I was in my bed.
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The action was flowing for hours.
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Right.
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So what is the correct video tense?
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I was sleeping.
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Brilliant.
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You were sleeping.
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A nice, long video action.
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Wow.
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That makes so much sense visually.
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Let's try another one.
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You in the kitchen, making food for an hour.
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I was cooking dinner.
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Perfect.
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You created a beautiful video background for me.
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I love this.
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I was cooking.
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I was sleeping. So easy.
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Now let's grab the other camera, the quick photograph.
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Ooh, the click camera.
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The past simple tense.
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Exactly.
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We use past simple for short, quick, finished actions.
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So, not a flowing video, just a sudden event?
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Spot on.
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It usually interrupts the long video.
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Ah, like a sudden surprise in the middle of the movie.
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Yes, the action happens fast and finishes fast.
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Give me a good example of a quick photo action.
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Remember your boss?
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His phone call.
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Oh, the phone ringing is fast.
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It is an interruption.
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Exactly.
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So we use the short tense.
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The phone rang.
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The phone rang.
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Click.
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Sudden action.
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Let's go back to your kitchen example.
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You were cooking dinner.
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And suddenly, my sister dropped a glass.
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Perfect.
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Did she drop the glass for a long time?
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Ha ha, no. It happened in one second.
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Crash!
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So you used the photo tense.
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She dropped a glass.
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Wow, I was cooking.
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Video.
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She dropped it.
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Photo.
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You are mastering the visual logic beautifully, Olivia.
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It feels so much better than memorizing grammar charts.
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Because your brain loves pictures, not boring timelines.
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Totally.
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So past simple is the interrupter, the quick flash.
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Exactly.
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The quick flash that changes the story.
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This is amazing!
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Let's put them together now.
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Alright, let's combine the video and the photo into one perfect sentence.
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The ultimate storytelling sentence.
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I am ready.
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To connect them, we usually use two magic words, when or while.
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When and while.
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Do they mean the same thing?
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They are similar, but they attach to different cameras.
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Ooh, interesting.
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Tell me the secret.
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While loves the long video.
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It means during that time.
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So I put while next to the ing form.
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Exactly.
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While I was sleeping...
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The phone rang.
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Perfect!
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You created a flawless English sentence.
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Wow!
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While I was cooking, my sister dropped a glass.
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You are doing great!
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Now, what about when?
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Let me guess.
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When loves the quick photo.
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Brilliant deduction.
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When attaches to the short interruption.
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So, I put it next to the past simple tense.
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Try it.
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Swap the magic word in your sleeping story.
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I was sleeping when the phone rang.
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Masterpiece.
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The meaning is exactly the same as the first one.
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Really?
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While I was sleeping, it rang is the same as I was sleeping when it rang?
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Absolutely.
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It just depends on where you want to place the magic word.
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That is so cool.
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It gives me freedom when I speak.
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Exactly.
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Freedom without confusion.
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I am definitely going to use both magic words tomorrow.
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Let's make sure you can use the negative form smoothly, too.
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Good idea.
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Sometimes saying no in the past is tricky.
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Let's start with the video camera, the past continuous.
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Okay.
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How do I make the long action negative?
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You just add not after was or were, wasn't or weren't.
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Oh, that is easy.
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I wasn't sleeping.
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Exactly.
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Meaning that video was not playing in the background.
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Got it.
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For example, I wasn't listening when the teacher spoke.
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Very honest example and perfect grammar.
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Thank you.
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Now, what about the quick photo camera?
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For the short past simple, we use didn't plus the base verb.
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Ah, I remember this.
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Didn't call, didn't go.
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Yes.
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So let's combine a negative photo with a positive video.
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Okay, let me think of a good situation.
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Take your time.
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Paint the picture for me.
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I was walking in the park, but I didn't see my friend.
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Spot on.
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The walking was the long background video.
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And the not seeing was the quick photo result.
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You nailed it.
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Let's try one more combination.
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While I was watching TV, the pizza guy didn't ring the bell.
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He just knocked.
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That is a fantastic sentence, Olivia.
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Very natural storytelling.
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Yay!
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I wasn't watching, didn't ring.
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It is totally logical.
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You are using the negative forms like a pro.
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This visual logic makes me feel unstoppable.
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Now, I need to teach you an important exception about telling stories.
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An exception?
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Uh-oh.
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Does the camera break?
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No, the camera is fine.
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But sometimes there is no video at all.
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What?
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No background video?
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Just photos?
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Exactly.
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Sometimes you just tell a list of quick actions, one after another.
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Like a sequence of events?
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Action 1, action 2, action 3?
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Precisely.
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When actions happen in a sequence, we only use the short photo tense.
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Just past simple.
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Click, click, click.
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Yes!
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For example, I woke up, I took a shower, and I left the house.
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Ah, none of them are background actions.
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They are a chain.
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Exactly.
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You cannot say, I was waking up and then I was taking a shower.
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That sounds terrible.
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It feels too slow and weird.
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Exactly, because they are finished consecutive steps.
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So, if one thing finishes before the next thing starts, just use past simple.
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Beautifully summarized, Olivia.
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Let me try a sequence.
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I opened the door, turned on the light, and saw a spider.
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Perfect!
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Click, click, click.
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Three fast photos.
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Wow!
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And what if I want to add a background to that spider story?
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Oh, challenge yourself.
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Give me the full movie scene.
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While the spider was crawling on the wall, I screamed and ran away away.
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That is a master class in English storytelling right there.
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I am so proud of that sentence.
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The video and two photos.
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You should be proud.
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It was completely flawless.
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This is officially my favorite grammar lesson ever.
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Now, Olivia, pay close attention.
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We are entering the trap zone.
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The trap zone?
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Okay, I am on high alert.
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What is the trap?
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There are some special verbs in English that hate the video camera.
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Hate the video camera?
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You mean I cannot use them with ing?
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Exactly.
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We call them state verbs.
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They describe feelings, thoughts, or senses.
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Feelings and thoughts?
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Like the word know?
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Yes.
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You can never say, I was knowing the answer.
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Oh, I actually hear students say that a lot.
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I was knowing it.
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It is a huge trap.
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Knowing is not a physical action.
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It is a state of mind.
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So, even if I knew it for a long time, I just used the phototense.
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Precisely.
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Always say, I knew the answer.
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Wow, good to know.
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What are some other trap words?
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Words like want, need, love, understand.
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So, I cannot say I was wanting a coffee.
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Never.
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Even if you felt that desire for three hours, you just say, I wanted a coffee.
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That's actually easier.
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I don't have to worry about the ing.
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Exactly.
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State verbs are strictly past simple only.
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So, if I didn't get the joke, I say, I didn't understand, not, I wasn't understanding.
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Spot on.
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Trap successfully avoided.
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Awesome.
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Love, need, know, want, understand.
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Got it.
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You will sound so much more advanced just by avoiding this one mistake.
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I am feeling so confident.
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Give me the next challenge.
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Let's put everything side by side to test your logic.
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Bring it on.
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I have my video camera and my photo camera ready.
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I will give you two similar situations.
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You tell me the difference in meaning.
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Okay, deal.
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Shoot.
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Sentence A.
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When John arrived, we had dinner.
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Sentence B, when John arrived, we were having dinner.
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Oh, wow.
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They look so similar, but they feel very different.
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Tell me exactly how they feel different.
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Use the logic.
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Okay.
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When John arrived, we had dinner.
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This is a sequence of photos.
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Yes.
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Click, click.
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So what happened first?
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John arrived first.
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Then, after he walked in, we all started eating together.
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Absolutely brilliant!
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Now, what about sentence B?
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We were having dinner.
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Were having is the long video, the background action.
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Exactly.
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So what is the situation when John opens the door?
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We are already eating.
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Our mouths are full of food when he arrives.
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Perfect!
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He interrupted your meal.
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Wow, the grammar completely changes the story.
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It changes the entire movie scene in the listener's head.
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In the first one, we waited for John.
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In the second one, we didn't wait.
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Exactly!
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Poor John in the second sentence.
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This is mind-blowing.
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The tenses paint the picture.
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Because you were using pure visual logic now, not just guessing words.
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I love this.
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No more confusing my coworkers with bad stories.
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Let's see how this works in a real, natural conversation.
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No grammar explanations?
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Just a normal chat about my day?
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Exactly.
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Just a regular chat.
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Let's start.
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Okay.
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I am ready.
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Let's do it.
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Hey, Olivia.
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I tried to call you yesterday evening, but you didn't answer.
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Oh, I am so sorry, Michael.
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I didn't hear my phone.
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Really?
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What were you doing around 7 p.m.?
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At 7 p.m., I was watching a very loud action movie.
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Ah, that makes sense.
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Was it a good movie?
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It was amazing, but while I was watching the best part, the electricity went out.
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Oh, no. What did you do then?
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I just lit some candles, grabbed a book, and read for an hour.
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That sounds quite relaxing, actually.
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It was.
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But while I was reading, I heard a strange noise outside.
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Strange noise?
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Did you go outside to check?
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No way!
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I was too scared.
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I just locked the door and stayed inside.
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Very smart.
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Well, I'm glad you're safe.
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Thanks.
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Anyway, sorry I missed your call.
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I will call you back next time. And cut!
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That was fantastic, Olivia!
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Wow!
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Did you notice?
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I used all the rules perfectly without thinking.
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I definitely noticed.
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It flowed beautifully.
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I used the video was watching, the photo went out, and the sequence lit grabbed red.
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You are officially a master storyteller in English.
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Thank you!
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That felt so incredibly natural.
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All right, before we wrap up the video, let's do a very quick mental summary.
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Good idea.
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Let's lock these cameras in my brain forever.
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Remember the core logic for the past continuous tense.
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Let me say it.
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It is the video camera, a long, flowing background action.
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Exactly.
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You use it to set the scene.
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I was sleeping.
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Yes, and the magic word while loves this tense.
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Perfect.
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Now, what is the core logic for the past simple tense?
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It is the photo camera.
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A short, quick, finished action.
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Click.
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Spot on.
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It usually interrupts the video.
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The phone rang.
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Yes, and the magic word when usually attaches to this short action.
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And what about a sequence of events?
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Action 1, action 2, action 3?
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We only use the photo camera.
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Click, click, click.
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Past simple only.
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That is the entire rule, Olivia.
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Just pure visual logic.
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It is incredible how simple it is when you organize it like cameras.
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So no more saying, I slept when he called at the office?
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Definitely not.
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My coworkers are going to be so impressed with my stories tomorrow.
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I have no doubt about that.
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You will sound just like a native speaker.
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No more confusing timelines.
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I just picture the movie scene in my head.
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I am very proud of your progress today, Olivia.
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Thank you, Michael.
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You make learning grammar actually fun.
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That is the secret to learning, keeping it visual and fun.
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Absolutely.
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I am ready to tell a million stories now.
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All right.
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That brings us to the end of today's Storytelling Masterclass.
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Wow.
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Time flew by so fast.
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I learned so much today, Michael.
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I am very happy to hear that, Olivia.
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But now it is homework time!
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Ooh, a challenge for our amazing viewers!
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I love it!
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What is the mission?
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We want to see if you guys can use the video camera and the photo camera together.
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Yes, prove to us that you stopped memorizing grammar charts and started thinking visually.
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So we want you to go down to the comment section right now.
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Okay, and what exactly should they write?
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A full Hollywood movie script?
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Haha, no. Just one sentence is enough.
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Tell us a mini-story about your day.
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Oh, I get it.
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Use a long background action and interrupt it with a quick, sudden action.
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Exactly.
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Give us one past continuous video interrupted by a past simple photo.
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Like, while I was eating my lunch, my cat jumped on the table.
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Perfect example.
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And please do not be shy.
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We want to read all of your stories.
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That is right.
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I am personally going to read every single comment.
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And I'll be there to give you feedback and correct any little mistakes.
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But remember guys, do not be afraid to make mistakes.
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That is how we learn.
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Absolutely.
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So grab your keyboards and drop your mini-stories in the comments below.
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We're waiting.
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And hey, if you found this camera trick helpful today… Please hit that like button.
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It really helps our channel grow and reach more English learners.
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And don't forget to subscribe and turn on the notification bell.
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Definitely.
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You do not want to miss our upcoming visual grammar lessons.
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We have so many more fun tricks to share with you all.
480
Thank you so much for watching, everyone.
481
Keep practicing your storytelling.
482
See you in the next video.
483
Bye-bye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “How to Use Past Simple & Past Continuous in Real English Conversations”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: action, camera, exactly, photo, quick. This video has 483 sentences and 2786 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:53. The speaker talks at a steady 140 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| tense noun | /tɛns/ | The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists. |
| grammar noun | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general. |
| continuous adjective | /kənˈtɪn.juː.əs/ | Without stopping; without a break, cessation, or interruption. |
| trap noun | /tɹæp/ | A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body. |
| interrupt verb | /ˌɪntəˈɹʌpt/ | To disturb or halt (an ongoing process or action, or the person performing it) by interfering suddenly, especially by speaking. |
| storytelling noun | The act and skills of presenting stories and tales. | |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| photograph noun | /ˈfoʊ.təˌɡɹæf/ | A picture created by projecting an image onto a photosensitive surface such as a chemically treated plate or film, CCD receptor, etc. |
| memorize verb | /ˈmɛm.əˌɹaɪ̯z/ | To fully learn so as to have entirely available to the memory; to learn by heart, commit to memory. |
| confuse verb | /kənˈfjuːz/ | to puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand |
| attach verb | /əˈtæt͡ʃ/ | To fasten, to join to (literally and figuratively). |
| beautifully adverb | /ˈbju.tɪ.fə.li/ | In a beautiful manner. |
| shine verb | /ʃaɪn/ | To emit or reflect light so as to glow. |
| precisely adverb | /pɹɪˈsaɪs.li/ | In a precise manner; exactly. |
| spider noun | /ˈspaɪ̯dɚ/ | Any of various eight-legged, predatory arthropods, of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs to catch prey. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. | |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| run away verb | To flee by running. | |
| wrap up verb | To cover or enclose (something) by folding and securing a covering entirely around it. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What is confusing you exactly?
- How do I use it?
- What were you doing before the phone rang?
- How do I make the long action negative?
- You mean I cannot use them with ing?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was shining · were walking · were you doing |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | stop guessing · started eating · stopped memorizing |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should be · should they write |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is happening · is shining · are walking |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 26 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, wasn't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shine /ʃaɪn/, interruption /ˌɪntəˈɹʌpʃən/, deduction /dɪˈdʌkʃən/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/
- Long words — get the stress right: continuous /kənˈtɪn.juː.əs/, beautifully /ˈbju.tɪ.fə.li/, interruption /ˌɪntəˈɹʌpʃən/, visually /ˈvɪzju.əli/, unstoppable /ʌnˈstɔ.pə.bəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like tense, grammar, continuous.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.