How to Say "were ...-ing" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “were ...-ing” is “estaban” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Mis amigos estaban jugando al fútbol.
My friends were playing soccer.
Cuando llegué, ellos estaban cenando.
When I arrived, they were eating dinner.
Los estudiantes estaban escuchando atentamente al profesor.
The students were listening attentively to the professor.
Describing an Action in Progress
Combine 'estaban' with a verb ending in '-ando' or '-iendo' to describe an action that was happening over a period of time in the past.
Forgetting the Second Verb
Mistake: “Ellos estaban en el parque.”
Correction: Ellos estaban corriendo en el parque. The first sentence is correct for location, but if you want to say what they *were doing*, you need the second verb (corriendo).
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