Past continuous tense-khmer explanation

អតីតកាលកំពុងធ្វើ                                     

                                                                                              
Read this text:                                            Read this unit in English!                                                       

            Yesterday, Vuthy taught his part –time students as usual. He started at 5 and finished at 7 pm.  Thirty minutes later, when he was explaining the lesson to the students, one of his friends, Eng Tith, called to invite him to eat something. Vuthy wanted to go, but he couldn’t because he was trying to finish his lesson. However, he promised to go after class.

            The underlined sentences are called the past continuous tense.

1.      He was explaining the lesson to the students.

2.      He was trying to finish his lesson.

ម្សិលម្សិញ វុទ្ធីបានបង្រៀនសិស្សក្រៅម៉ោងរបស់គាត់ដូចធម្មតា។ គាត់ចាប់ផ្តើមនៅម៉ោង៥ ហើយបញ្ចប់នៅម៉ោង៧។ ៣០​ នាទីក្រោយមក ពេលគាត់កំពុងពន្យល់មេរៀនដល់សិស្សរបស់គាត់ មិត្តរបស់គាត់ម្នាក់ឈ្មោះ អេង ទិតបានទូរសព្ទមកគាត់ដើម្បីបបួលគាត់ទៅហូបអាហារជាមួយគ្នា។ វិទ្ធីចង់ទៅ ប៉ុន្តែគាត់មិនអាច ពីព្រោះគាត់កំពុងបង្រៀន។​ទោះជាយ៉ាងណា គាត់សន្យា ថាទៅក្រោយពេលបង្រៀនចប់។

     ប្រយោគដែលគូសបន្ទាត់ពីក្រោម ជា the past continuous tense។

@ We form the past continuous tense like this:

·         Subject + was/were + base verb + ING +...

More example:       

 Positive:

Subject		base verb+ING
·         I/he/she/it ·         Dara/Jane...	was	swimming sleeping	in the pool soundly
·         You/we/they ·         Dara and Jane ·         My brothers	were

                                    Negative:

·         Subject+ was/were +NOT + base verb+ ING+ ...

Subject		base verb+ING
·         I/he/she/it ·         Dara/Jane...	was not (wasn’t)	swimming sleeping	in the pool soundly
·         You/we/they ·         Dara and Jane ·         My brothers	were not (weren’t)

                                    Question

·         Was/Were + Subject + base verb +ING+...?

	Subject	base verb+ING
Was	I/he/she/it Dara/Jane...	swimming sleeping	in the pool? soundly?
Were	you/we/they Dara and Jane my brothers

                                    Short answer

Questions	short answer (+)	short answer(-)
Were they swimming?	Yes, they were	No, they weren’t
Was he sleeping?	Yes, he was	No, he wasn’t

@ IMPORTANT

·      For continuous tenses, you need to know spelling rule of verb + ING.

·      The auxiliary verb “was” is singular so only singular subjects are used with it.

J Ex: Singular subjects: I/he/she/it/ a dog / the wind/...

·      The auxiliary verb ‘were’ is plural so it is used with plural subjects.

J Ex: you/we/they/ two dogs/their parents...

·      The subject ‘you’ can be singular or plural. However, in grammar rules it is           used with plural verbs.

@ សម្រាប់កាលមានទម្រង់កំពុងបន្ត​ (continuous tenses) ទាំងអស់ អ្នកត្រូវស្គាល់ក្បួននៃការសរសេរពេលបន្ថែម ING​ លើកិរិយាសព្ទ។

@  “Was” ជាកិរិយាសព្ទជំនួយឯកវចនៈ ដូចនេះយើងប្រើវាជាមួយប្រធានឯកវចនៈ ដូចជា៖ I/he/she/it/ a dog / the wind/...

@ ‘Were’ ជាកិរិយាសព្ទជំនួយពហុវចនៈ ដូចនេះយើងប្រើវាជាមួយប្រធានពហុវចនៈ ដូចជា៖ you/we/they/ two dogs/their parents...

@ ‘You’ជាប្រធាន​ឯកវចនៈផង និងពហុវចនៈផង។ទោះជាយ៉ាងណា តាមក្បួនវេយ្យាករណ៍យើងប្រើវាជាមួយកិរិយាសព្ទពហុវចនៈ។

Use

The past continuous tense is used:

1.    to describe an action which was happening at a specific time in the past.

 ដើម្បីពិពណ៌នាសកម្មភាពមួយដែលកំពុងកើតឡើងនៅពេលវេលាជាក់លាក់មួយក្នុងអតីតកាល។

·      Mr. Chantha was watching TV at 6.30. (he started at 6 and finished at 7pm)

  ចន្ថាកំពុងមើលទូរទស្សន៍នៅម៉ោង ៦:៣០។( គាត់ចាប់ផ្តើមនៅម៉ោង៦ ហើយបញ្ចប់នៅម៉ោង៧ ល្ងាច)

·      They were playing football this time yesterday.

  នៅពេលនេះម្សិលម្សិញពួកគេកំពុងលេងបាល់ទាត់ ។

2.    to talk about two or more actions that were going on at the same time.

    ដើម្បីនិយាយអំពីសកម្មភាពពីរ ឬច្រើនដែលកំពុងកើតឡើងក្នុងពេលដំណាលគ្នា។

·      While my friends were drinking at clubs, I was writing my lesson.

  កំឡុងពេលមិត្តរបស់ខ្ញុំកំពុងផឹកនៅក្លឹប ខ្ញុំកំពុងសរសេរមេរៀនរបស់ខ្ញុំ។

·      When I was waiting for my friends, a crowd of students were leaving for their home.

  ពេលខ្ញុំកំពុងរង់ចាំមិត្តរបស់ខ្ញុំ សិស្សជាច្រើនកំពុងចាកចេញទៅផ្ទះ។

3.    to show a longer action that was interrupted by a shorter one.

     ដើម្បីបង្ហាញពីសកម្មភាពវែងដែលកាត់ផ្តាច់ដោយសកម្មភាពខ្លី

·      When he was eating dinner around 7, the light went out.

              (longer action)                                (shorter action)

  ពេលគាត់កំពុងហូបអាហារពេលល្ងាចប្រហែលម៉ោង៧ ភ្លើងបានដាច់។

·      Sue and her husband were talking on the phone, when I saw them.

  Sue និងប្ដីរបស់នាងកំពុងនិយាយតាមទូរស័ព្ទ ពេលខ្ញុំឃើញពួកគេ។

@ Note:

The past continuous tense shows the longer action and the past simple shows the shorter one.

The past continuous បង្ហាញសកម្មភាពវែង​ ឯ the past simple​ បង្ហាញសកម្មភាពខ្លី។

4.    to tell about the longer background of a narrative.

    ដើម្បីនិយាយអំពីព្រឹត្តការណ៍វែងនៃរឿងនិទាន។

· When she was walking along the road, she noticed that someone was following her. She felt frightened and ....

5.    to talk about a past action which was temporary.

     និយាយអំពីសកម្មភាពបណ្តោះអាសន្នក្នុងអតីតកាល។

·      I was working for ANZ royal bank during the last two years at university.

       កំឡុងពេលពីរឆ្នាំចុងក្រោយនៅសកលវិទ្យាល័យ ខ្ញុំបានធ្វើការឪ្យធានាគារ ANZ royal។

·      Bora was staying with his untie when he was ill.

        បូរ៉ាបានស្នាក់នៅជាមួយមីងរបស់គាត់ ពេលគាត់់ឈឺ។

6.    to show our annoyance over someone’s behavior in the past.

    ដើម្បីបង្ហាញភាពធុញទ្រាន់របស់យើង​ ចំពោះអាកប្បកិរិយារបស់នរណាម្នាក់ក្នុងអតីតកាល។

·      Last week, my brother was always asking​ ​for money.

      សប្ដាហ៍មុន ប្អូនរបស់ខ្ញុំគិតតែពីសុំលុយពីខ្ញុំ។

·      This time yesterday my mother was constantly asking me to do things.

      ពេលនេះម្សិម្សិញ ម្ដាយរបស់ខ្ញុំប្រើខ្ញុំរហូត។

Thanks for reading!

Read this unit in English!

Thanks for reading!