Can "was in" be the past continuous?

[Byz]

Hi

I'm very confused, and would greatly appreciate your help.

Is "I was in the shower" past simple, or past continuous?

If I said "I was in the shower 5 minutes ago" this would definitely be past simple.

However, "Why didn't you cook tea", "I was in the shower 5 minutes ago" doesn't work. The correct response is "I was in the shower". A long action around a particular time.

In this situation it means much the same as "I was having a shower". So, is "I was in" also the past continuous?

Many thanks


Peter

[druitaly]

I was in the shower ---> past simple
I was taking a shower ----> past continuous

[Harry Smith]

Hi

I'm very confused, and would greatly appreciate your help.

Is "I was in the shower" past simple, or past continuous?

If I said "I was in the shower 5 minutes ago" this would definitely be past simple.

However, "Why didn't you cook tea", "I was in the shower 5 minutes ago" doesn't work. The correct response is "I was in the shower". A long action around a particular time.

In this situation it means much the same as "I was having a shower". So, is "I was in" also the past continuous?

Many thanks


Peter

The verb "to be" is rarely used in the continuous tenses.

[rj1948]

Hi

I'm very confused, and would greatly appreciate your help.

Is "I was in the shower" past simple, or past continuous?

If I said "I was in the shower 5 minutes ago" this would definitely be past simple.

However, "Why didn't you cook tea", "I was in the shower 5 minutes ago" doesn't work. The correct response is "I was in the shower". A long action around a particular time.
Why didn't you make tea? I was in the shower.(boththe sentences-simple past)
Why didn't you make tea while I was bathing.?Past continuous.

In this situation it means much the same as "I was having a shower". So, is "I was in" also the past continuous?

Many thanks


Peter
Generally simple past has time expressions such as yesterday, last year...

I met my friend yesterday.

Past continuous-When I was reading my father entered.
While Iwas watching tv, my mother was cooking.

Regards,
rj1948..

[Harry Smith]

[quote=rj1948;307841]Hi

I'm very confused, and would greatly appreciate your help.

Is "I was in the shower" past simple, or past continuous?

If I said "I was in the shower 5 minutes ago" this would definitely be past simple.



"I was in the shower" is past simple. It doesn't matter you write "5 minutes ago" or not. If you want to use past continuous you'd say: I was having(taking) a shower. The verb to be can be used in the present continuous in a sentence like this: Suppose you aren't selfish at all. But once you behave yourself like that and you say: I am being selfish... This sentence you can use in thе past continuous too. You were being selfish at your birthday party that's why nobody danced with you.

[David L.]

ByZ:
In this situation it means much the same as "I was having a shower".
So, is "I was in" also the past continuous? NO

If the reply was, "I was in the living room", then would this reply be as much an acceptable excuse as 'in the shower'?
What is happening, when we hear 'in the shower'/'in the living room', we 'read into the situation' - in the second, he's just sitting there watching TV so get up ya fat lazy so-and-so; in the first, oh, so he's taking a shower and that takes some time. We hear 'in the shower' and ascribe the continuous, time-consuming action of 'taking a shower' to it even though the words are simple past.