Exercice de complétion de phrases pour distinguer le Past Simple (prétérit simple) du Past Progressive (prétérit progressif). Identifiez quand une action courte interrompt une action longue et quand l'action se déroule en arrière-plan. Convient aux apprenants d'anglais.
She ___ (cook) dinner when I called.
was cooking — prétérit progressif : action longue interrompue par une action courte (called)
I ___ (call) her while she was cooking.
called — prétérit simple : l'action courte qui a interrompu l'action longue
They ___ (watch) TV when the lights went out.
were watching — prétérit progressif : arrière-plan de l'action courte
The lights ___ (go) out suddenly.
went — prétérit simple : action courte et soudaine
While we ___ (walk) home, it started to rain.
were walking — prétérit progressif : action en arrière-plan
It ___ (start) to rain while we were walking.
started — prétérit simple
He ___ (read) a book all evening yesterday.
was reading — prétérit progressif : action qui a duré longtemps
Last night I ___ (finish) my homework at 9.
finished — prétérit simple : action achevée à un moment précis
What ___ you ___ (do) at 8 o'clock last night?
were / doing — prétérit progressif : action en cours à un moment précis
When the phone rang, she ___ (sleep).
was sleeping — prétérit progressif : arrière-plan au moment où l'action courte s'est produite
The phone ___ (ring) while she was sleeping.
rang — prétérit simple
We ___ (play) football when it began to snow.
were playing — prétérit progressif
I ___ (see) him yesterday at the mall.
saw — prétérit simple : fait accompli dans le passé
While the teacher ___ (explain), the students listened.
was explaining — prétérit progressif : action continue en arrière-plan
The students ___ (listen) carefully.
listened — prétérit simple
At 7 a.m. yesterday I ___ (drive) to work.
was driving — prétérit progressif : action en cours à une heure précise
She ___ (wash) the dishes when the guests arrived.
was washing — prétérit progressif
The guests ___ (arrive) early.
arrived — prétérit simple
He ___ (not / listen) when I spoke to him.
was not listening — prétérit progressif à la forme négative
I ___ (not / hear) the alarm this morning.
did not hear — prétérit simple à la forme négative
While they ___ (travel), they met an old friend.
were travelling — prétérit progressif
They ___ (meet) an old friend during the trip.
met — prétérit simple
The baby ___ (cry) all night long.
was crying — prétérit progressif : action qui a duré longtemps
Yesterday she ___ (visit) her grandmother.
visited — prétérit simple
What ___ you ___ (wear) when I saw you?
were / wearing — prétérit progressif
I ___ (lose) my keys last week.
lost — prétérit simple
The sun ___ (shine) while we were at the beach.
was shining — prétérit progressif : arrière-plan
We ___ (build) a sandcastle on the beach.
built — prétérit simple
He fell while he ___ (run) in the park.
was running — prétérit progressif : action interrompue
He ___ (fall) and hurt his knee.
fell — prétérit simple
While I ___ (study), my brother played music.
was studying — prétérit progressif (deux actions parallèles)
My brother ___ (play) music while I was studying.
was playing — prétérit progressif : action parallèle continue
She ___ (write) emails all morning.
was writing — prétérit progressif
At noon yesterday we ___ (have) lunch.
were having — prétérit progressif : action en cours à un moment précis
I ___ (open) the door and went outside.
opened — prétérit simple : séquence d'actions courtes
When we arrived, they ___ (wait) for us.
were waiting — prétérit progressif : action déjà en cours
It ___ (rain) when I left the house.
was raining — prétérit progressif : état en arrière-plan
I ___ (forget) to lock the door yesterday.
forgot — prétérit simple