Past Continuous Tense in Urdu

Overview

The past continuous tense (ماضی جاری) expresses actions that were ongoing at a specific point in the past. At the CEFR A2 level, this tense allows learners to describe background actions, set scenes, and express what was happening when another event occurred.

The formation mirrors the present continuous but replaces the present auxiliary (ہے/ہیں) with the past auxiliary (تھا/تھی/تھے). Importantly, this tense does not use the ergative نے construction — the verb always agrees with the subject, regardless of whether the verb is transitive or intransitive.

This tense is particularly useful for storytelling and narration, providing the background against which completed actions (simple past) take place.

How It Works

Formation Pattern

Verb stem + رہا/رہی/رہے + تھا/تھی/تھے

Subject	Masculine	Feminine
میں	کر رہا تھا kar rahā thā	کر رہی تھی kar rahī thī
تو	کر رہا تھا	کر رہی تھی
تم	کر رہے تھے kar rahe the	کر رہی تھیں kar rahī thīṅ
آپ	کر رہے تھے	کر رہی تھیں
وہ (sg)	کر رہا تھا	کر رہی تھی
ہم/وہ (pl)	کر رہے تھے	کر رہی تھیں

Double Gender Agreement

Both رہا and تھا must agree with the subject:

Subject Gender	رہا form	تھا form
Masculine singular	رہا	تھا
Feminine singular	رہی	تھی
Masculine plural	رہے	تھے
Feminine plural	رہی	تھیں

Examples in Context

Urdu	Transliteration	English	Note
وہ سو رہا تھا۔	voh so rahā thā	He was sleeping.	M.sg
بارش ہو رہی تھی۔	bārish ho rahī thī	It was raining.	بارش is feminine
بچے کھیل رہے تھے۔	bachche khel rahe the	The children were playing.	M.pl
جب میں آیا وہ پڑھ رہی تھی۔	jab maiṅ āyā voh paṛh rahī thī	When I came, she was reading.	Background action
ہم انتظار کر رہے تھے۔	ham intizār kar rahe the	We were waiting.	M.pl
وہ کھانا بنا رہی تھیں۔	voh khānā banā rahī thīṅ	They (f) were cooking food.	F.pl
میں سوچ رہا تھا کہ...	maiṅ soch rahā thā ke...	I was thinking that...	Leading to another clause
لوگ باتیں کر رہے تھے۔	log bāteṅ kar rahe the	People were talking.	Scene setting
تم کیا کر رہے تھے؟	tum kyā kar rahe the?	What were you doing?	Question form
پنکھا چل رہا تھا۔	pankhā chal rahā thā	The fan was running.	پنکھا is masculine

Common Mistakes

Wrong Agreement on تھا

• Wrong: وہ (لڑکی) سو رہی تھا۔
• Right: وہ سو رہی تھی۔
• Why: Both رہی and the auxiliary must be feminine: رہی تھی.

Confusing with Simple Past

• Wrong: Using past continuous for completed actions
• Right: Use simple past for completed actions, past continuous for ongoing background
• Why: "She was reading when I arrived" uses past continuous for reading (background) and simple past for arriving (completed event).

Applying Ergativity to Continuous Tenses

• Wrong: اس نے کھانا کھا رہا تھا۔
• Right: وہ کھانا کھا رہا تھا۔
• Why: Continuous tenses never use the ergative نے construction, even with transitive verbs.

Usage Notes

The past continuous is often paired with the simple past to create "when" sentences: جب میں پہنچا، وہ سو رہا تھا (When I arrived, he was sleeping). The past continuous provides the background, and the simple past provides the event that interrupted it.

In narratives, the past continuous sets the scene, while the simple past advances the plot.

Practice Tips

• Describe a scene from a movie or memory using only past continuous: what was everyone doing at that moment?
• Practice "when" sentences combining past continuous (background) with simple past (event).
• Convert present continuous sentences to past continuous by changing ہے/ہیں to تھا/تھی/تھے.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Continuous Tense — Same structure with present auxiliaries