Narrative Tenses: Introduction
Narrative tenses are the verb tenses we use to tell stories, describe past events, and explain what happened before, during, and around an action in the past.
When we tell a story well, we do not use just one past tense. We usually combine different tenses because each one has a different function. One tense may describe the main events, another may give background information, and another may show that one action happened before another.
Example: I was walking home when I saw a man who had dropped his wallet.
In that sentence:
- was walking sets the scene or background.
- saw gives the main event.
- had dropped shows an earlier past action.
In this lesson, we will study these main narrative structures:
- Past Simple
- Past Continuous
- Past Perfect Simple
- Past Perfect Continuous
- Used to and Would for past habits
Past Simple: Main Events in a Story
We use the past simple to talk about completed actions in the past. In narrative writing, it is usually the tense of the main events.
This means that if you are telling a story step by step, the past simple is often the tense that moves the story forward.
Use: completed actions in chronological order
She opened the door, looked at us, and went into her room.
He called me and asked me to pick him up, but he wasn’t there when I arrived.
Notice that these actions happened one after another. This is why the past simple is so common in stories, biographies, anecdotes, and news reports.
We also often use the past simple with finished time expressions such as:
- yesterday
- last week
- in 2019
- two hours ago
We went to the zoo last week.
Sorry, what did you say?
Past Simple: Past Habits and Past States
The past simple is not only used for story events. We also use it to talk about:
- past habits — things we did regularly in the past
- past states — feelings, situations, or conditions that were true in the past
1. Past habits
A past habit is something that happened repeatedly in the past.
We often went to the bar for a drink before dinner.
Every summer, my family spent two weeks by the sea.
2. Past states
A past state describes how someone felt or what situation existed in the past.
He really liked sport and was very fit.
She felt nervous before the exam.
In stories, these uses help us understand what life was like before or during the events.
So, while the past simple often tells us what happened, it can also tell us what was usually true.
Past Continuous: Setting the Scene
We use the past continuous to describe an action that was in progress at a particular time in the past.
In stories, the past continuous is very useful because it helps us set the scene. It creates the background and gives the reader a picture of what was happening around the main event.
Form: was / were + verb + ing
Use in stories: background action, atmosphere, scene-setting
Last night, I was walking home and listening to my iPod when ...
The sun was shining, and lots of tourists were lying on the beach. Suddenly ...
These examples do not yet give the main action of the story. Instead, they prepare the situation and help the listener imagine the moment.
That is why the past continuous is often found at the beginning of a story or just before an important event happens.
Past Continuous: Actions in Progress and Interrupted Actions
We also use the past continuous for actions that were already happening when another action occurred.
In this structure, the longer background action is usually in the past continuous, and the shorter completed action is often in the past simple.
Background / longer action: past continuous
Interrupting / main action: past simple
After dinner, I went into the living room and saw she was crying.
When she opened the door, we were talking about her.
In the second example, were talking is the action in progress, and opened is the shorter action that happened during it.
This combination is extremely common in storytelling because it helps show what was happening at the exact moment something important occurred.
I was studying when the lights went out.
Past Continuous: Actions in Progress and Interrupted Actions
We also use the past continuous for actions that were already happening when another action occurred.
In this structure, the longer background action is usually in the past continuous, and the shorter completed action is often in the past simple.
Background / longer action: past continuous
Interrupting / main action: past simple
After dinner, I went into the living room and saw she was crying.
When she opened the door, we were talking about her.
In the second example, were talking is the action in progress, and opened is the shorter action that happened during it.
This combination is extremely common in storytelling because it helps show what was happening at the exact moment something important occurred.
I was studying when the lights went out.
Past Perfect Simple: The Earlier Past
We use the past perfect simple to talk about an action or situation that happened before another point in the past.
In other words, if the past simple tells us the main event, the past perfect helps us go one step further back to explain what happened before it.
Form: had + past participle
Main function: earlier event before another past event
When she opened the door, he had already left.
I realised that I had been there before.
In the first sentence, the main event is she opened the door. The earlier action is he had already left.
Without the past perfect, the order of events could be less clear. The past perfect makes the sequence very precise.
This tense is especially useful in:
- stories and anecdotes
- explanations of cause and effect
- flashbacks and earlier experiences
Past Perfect Simple: Earlier Events, Quantity, and Stative Duration
1. Earlier single events or experiences
We use the past perfect simple for earlier completed actions or experiences before the main event.
When I met her, I had never been in a serious relationship.
He noticed that I had cleaned the car.
2. How much or how many we had done
We also use the past perfect simple, not the continuous form, when we want to focus on the result, amount, or number.
We had driven 500 miles, and we needed some rest.
How many hours had he slept when you woke him up?
3. Duration with stative verbs
With stative verbs such as be, know, like, love, hate, believe, we often use the past perfect simple to describe a state that began earlier and continued up to a point in the past.
The day Anne died, they had been married for 48 years.
She told me she had always hated her sister.
This is an important difference: with stative verbs, the simple form is usually preferred.
Past Perfect Continuous: Earlier Duration with Dynamic Verbs
We use the past perfect continuous to describe a longer action that started before a past moment and continued up to that moment.
This tense is especially common with dynamic verbs, which describe actions and activities, such as wait, drive, work, write, run, study.
Form: had been + verb + ing
Main function: duration before a past event
I was very angry. I had been waiting for him in the cold, and he didn’t call to say he’d be late.
We had been driving for less than an hour when the car broke down.
In both examples, the continuous form emphasizes the length of the action and often explains the result:
- had been waiting explains why the speaker was angry
- had been driving shows an activity in progress before the breakdown
This tense often appears with time expressions such as for, since, all day, and for hours.
Past Perfect Continuous: Repeated Earlier Actions
The past perfect continuous can also describe repeated actions that happened many times before another past moment.
In this case, the focus is not just on one earlier action, but on repetition over a period of time.
I couldn’t believe it. She had been writing a letter every day for over a year.
This example shows:
- the action started before the main past moment
- the action happened repeatedly
- the speaker wants to stress the ongoing, repeated nature of the activity
Compare:
Past perfect simple: She had written three letters.
Past perfect continuous: She had been writing letters every day.
The simple form focuses more on the result or quantity. The continuous form focuses more on the process, duration, or repetition.
Choosing the Correct Narrative Tense
A good story often combines several narrative tenses. Each tense has a specific role.
| Tense | Main Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Past Simple | Main events in order | She opened the window and looked outside. |
| Past Continuous | Background / scene / action in progress | It was raining and people were running home. |
| Past Perfect Simple | Earlier completed action | He had left before I arrived. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | Earlier duration or repeated activity | They had been travelling for hours. |
Look at this short narrative:
It was getting dark when I arrived at the station. I realised that I had left my ticket at home. I had been rushing all day, so I felt exhausted.
In that short paragraph:
- was getting sets the scene
- arrived and realised are the main events
- had left shows the earlier completed action
- had been rushing shows earlier duration
Used to + Infinitive
We use used to + infinitive to talk about the past, especially when something was true or happened regularly before, but is not true now.
1. Repeated actions in the past
We use used to for habits or repeated actions.
When I was a child, I used to go skiing every winter.
From the age of 12 till I was 16, I used to dance at weekends.
I didn’t use to smoke before I got this job.
2. Past situations or states that are no longer true
We also use used to with stative verbs and old situations.
As a child, I used to be blond.
I used to live with my mum when I was a child.
This is very important: used to works for both:
- repeated actions
- states or situations no longer true
Would + Infinitive
We can use would + infinitive to talk about repeated actions in the past.
It is often used when we are remembering, telling stories, or describing habits from an earlier time in life.
Every Saturday we would go to the shopping centre with my parents.
My 5th-grade teacher would tell me to shut up at the beginning of every class.
In these examples, the meaning is repeated action, not state.
Important limitation
We cannot normally use would to talk about past states or situations that are no longer true.
Incorrect: I would be blond as a child.
Correct: I used to be blond as a child.
So, would is fine for repeated actions, but not for old states like:
- be
- have
- know
- like
- live
Used to vs Would
Both used to and would can describe repeated past actions, but they are not always interchangeable.
| Structure | Repeated Actions | Past States / Situations |
|---|---|---|
| Used to | Yes | Yes |
| Would | Yes | No |
When both are possible
When I was a child, I used to go skiing every winter.
When I was a child, I would go skiing every winter.
When only used to is possible
I used to live with my mum.
Not natural: I would live with my mum.
A simple rule to remember is this:
Action repeated many times? → used to / would
State or situation no longer true? → used to only
Final Summary: Narrative Tenses and Past Habits
To tell stories clearly and naturally in English, we usually combine different grammar structures.
| Grammar Point | Main Function |
|---|---|
| Past Simple | Main completed events in a story |
| Past Continuous | Background, scene-setting, action in progress |
| Past Perfect Simple | Earlier completed action or earlier state |
| Past Perfect Continuous | Earlier duration or repeated activity |
| Used to | Repeated actions and old states no longer true |
| Would | Repeated actions in the past only |
Before choosing a tense, ask yourself:
- Is this the main event of the story?
- Am I describing the background?
- Did this happen before another past event?
- Do I want to show duration or repetition?
- Am I talking about a past habit or a past state?
It was raining when we arrived. We soon realised that someone had taken our bags. We had been travelling for hours, and we used to stay in that hotel every summer.
If you can recognise the function of each action, you will be able to choose the correct narrative tense much more easily.
¡Hora de hacer ejercicios! Explora con los botones los distintos grupos.
Narrative Tenses: Past Simple and Past Continuous
When I arrived at the station, it 1 heavily. (RAIN)
Narrative Tenses: Past Perfect Simple and Past Perfect Continuous
When we got to the cinema, the film 1 already __. (START)
Past Habits: Used To, Would and Past Simple
When I was a child, I 1 play football in the street every evening. (USE)
Narrative Tenses: Cambridge-Style Mixed Story Practice
I 1 home when I suddenly heard someone shouting my name. (WALK)