Past Continuous

101 speaking questions and prompts

By Larry PittsUpdated September 29, 2026

Answer in full sentences. Use was or were with an -ing verb to describe what was happening.

Recent days

5 questions

What were you doing before this conversation started?
What were you trying to finish before bed last night?
What were you thinking about before you fell asleep last night?
What were you doing during your last break?
Last month, were you rushing around or finding time to relax?

Earlier life and memories

9 questions

Where were you living this time five years ago?
Were you sharing a dorm room with someone when you were in college?
What was keeping you busy this time last year?
Who were you trying to be like when you were younger?
Were you studying alone or with other people when you first started learning English?
What were you enjoying most about life this time last year?
What were people doing at a party when you knew it was time to go home?
Tell the story behind a small object you kept. Describe what was happening when you got it.
Recall an unplanned celebration. Explain what people were doing before they heard the good news.

Periods of change

11 questions

When you moved to a new area, which places were you looking for first?
During your first month at a new job or class, what was taking longer than expected?
During the first month of learning a skill, what were you getting wrong again and again?
At the start of this year, what were you doing with your evenings?
At the end of last year, what were you doing less often than before?
During a period when your days felt full, what were you saying no to?
What was changing in your neighborhood last year?
During the last project you shared with someone, how were you dividing the work?
During your last long break from work or school, how were you spending your mornings?
Early in a job or course, what were you doing to remember people's names?
When you returned to an old activity, what were you doing differently?

People, places, and scenes

15 questions

What was happening outside when you woke up this morning?
Think of a funny clip from a video call where something unexpected was happening in the background. Tell me about it.
What was making noise the last time you needed to concentrate?
What were people around you talking about last summer?
Were you making any changes to your home earlier this year?
What were you doing to stay cool during the hottest part of last year?
Was bad weather causing any problems where you live last winter?
Describe what was happening in a street performance that made you stop and watch.
What was someone doing when you realized they had a talent you hadn't known about?
What was an animal doing in a funny video that made you stop scrolling?
Think of a waiting room that felt too busy. What was happening around you?
Think of a good walk you took with someone. What were you talking about?
Think of a place where someone made you feel welcome. What were they doing to make you feel welcome?
When did your neighborhood feel especially lively? What were people doing outside?
What were you helping with during a celebration you remember from childhood?

Activities and projects

7 questions

What were you doing for exercise at the start of this year?
Were you helping anyone with a project earlier this year?
Which news story were you following closely earlier this year?
Were you growing anything at home last spring?
What were you trying to do the last time you used a video tutorial?
What were you doing the last time you got your hands dirty?
What were you doing the last time you lost track of time?

Games and events

12 questions

Who were you cheering for during the last game you watched, and why?
Tell me about a live event you left early. What was happening that made you go?
Tell me about a live event where the audience changed the mood. What were people doing?
What were you hoping to find when you joined a club or group?
What were people saying in a group discussion that changed your mind?
What was a club or group doing that made you decide it was not for you?
Tell me about a repair that taught you how something works. What were you figuring out?
Tell me about something you made that looked rough but worked well. What problem were you trying to solve?
What were you doing to calm yourself before you last spoke or performed for a group?
Tell me about a performer who recovered from a mistake. What were they doing to keep going?
What were you doing with another person when you realized you worked well together?
What were you looking forward to at the last live event you attended?

Plans and interruptions

19 questions

What were you doing the last time you missed a call?
What were you trying to say the last time someone misunderstood you?
Tell me about a time you were making something and ran out of something you needed.
Tell me about a time you were in the middle of doing something and you remembered that you forgot something important.
Were you thinking about moving earlier this year?
Tell me about a time you changed your route because of something that was happening along the way.
What were you trying to photograph in a picture that turned out differently than you expected?
What were you working on the last time you decided to start over?
What were you doing when someone arrived earlier than you expected?
What were you working on when someone asked to join you?
What were you still trying to finish when a public place began closing?
When you realized a task needed two people, what were you trying to do alone?
When someone offered to help, what were you struggling to do?
What were you practicing when someone gave you a useful comment?
When you learned you had more time, what were you rushing to finish?
When someone invited you to join them, what were you doing on your own?
When you felt too tired to continue, what were you still trying to finish?
What were you doing when a task turned out to take longer than you expected?
What were you working on when someone asked you to explain what you were doing?

Funny moments

5 questions

Think of a moment when you were trying not to laugh. Describe what was happening and why you had to stay serious.
Share a small mistake you can laugh about now. Start with what you were trying to do.
Have you ever been caught singing or talking to yourself? What were you doing when someone noticed?
Tell me about a time a pet was causing trouble while everyone was busy with something else.
Talk about a time you saw someone doing exactly what they had told other people not to do.

Small stories

5 questions

Tell me about a time you were explaining something and a quick drawing helped. What were you explaining?
What were you doing when someone mistook you for a worker?
What were you translating when you found there was no exact word for it?
Tell me about a song that brought back a memory. What were you doing when you heard it?
What were you doing when an old skill helped you in a new situation?

Doing things together

13 questions

What were people doing on a bus or train that made the ride fun?
Describe a time someone was keeping everyone entertained during a boring task.
Tell me about a time you were doing something for fun and another person took it much more seriously.
Tell us about a time two people did the same job in very different ways. Describe how each person was doing it.
Describe a time you chose the wrong moment to speak. Explain what was happening around you.
Describe an activity you decided to join after watching for a while. What were people doing that made you want to join?
Think of a time you were helping someone and realized they wanted company more than help.
Tell me about a time you were helping with a job you didn't know how to do.
At an event you helped run, what were people asking while you were busy with another job?
Before someone had to speak or perform, what were you doing to help them feel ready?
Tell me about a time you interrupted someone who was concentrating and wished you'd waited.
What were you correcting someone about when you discovered you were wrong?
Tell me about a time you were trying to be useful but got in someone else's way.