past continuous

[giovanni]

I was wondering if you could explain something about the past continuous.

I understand that normally when we use while it is in the past continuous and when we use when it is in the past.

I understand the interrupted action and the simultantious action.

What I want to know is if it is possible to use while in the past and when in the continuous. Could you please give me some examples.

Thank you.

[aydincelenk]

Hi Giovanni,
You can use WHILE with a past simple sentence but with a verb that means a duration in the past;
Example; While I was in New York, I worked at an Italian restaurant.
Here in this example it is obvious that the verb "was" shows a duration, but not just a point of time in the past. So "while" is not necessarily followed by a continuous verb or a verb with "-ing" but a verb with a meaning of continuity.
I hope this helps you.