Past Simple / Past Continuous

Question

Hello,could you please help me with the sentence below?1. When I left the house, it was snowing.I feel it's natural to say it this way but what is the good explanation why the Past SimpleTense should be used in first part of the sentence?If I say:2. When I was leaving the house it was snowing.does it imply that it was snowing only when I was leaving the house and then it suddenly stopped, for example?What other reasons could we give for that the Past Simple should be used in the first sentence?I will be grateful for your help.Kind regards.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Coincidence1. When I left the house, it was snowing.I feel it's natural to say it this way but what is ~~the~~ a good explanation why the Past SimpleTense should be used in first part of the sentence?

It's a one-time action.

CoincidenceIf I say:2. When I was leaving the house it was snowing.does it imply that it was snowing only when I was leaving the house and then it suddenly stopped, for example?

No, but the point is that you would not say that. Leaving happens at a point in time, not over a period of time, and the use of "when" underscores this, so a continuous tense is not very appropriate.

CJ

Coincidence · Answer

Ok, I see..but I think I have seen a few sentences with 'when I was leaving' and 'When I was going out', for example

When I was going out of the restaurant, I noticed Julie in the street. (is this sentence right?)

When I was leaving the house, my mum always reminded me to take my hat with me.
(I think this sentence implies that the action was longer,we imagine a person preparing to go out...)

When I left the house, it was snowing.

I left, closed the door - as you have said - a short action that happened at a point of time. This explains why the Past Simple should be used.

Thank you for your help.

CalifJim · Answer

CoincidenceI think I have seen a few sentences with 'when I was leaving' and 'When I was going out', for example

You probably have seen a lot of sentences like that. In those cases, the speaker wants to focus on the period of time that is occupied by leave-taking.

CoincidenceWhen I was going out of the restaurant, I noticed Julie in the street.

Correct. Note here that the noticing is an instantaneous realization compared with the relatively longer time it takes to go out of a restaurant, even though in another context, depending what it's being compared with, the leaving may be the 'instantaneous' event. (By the way, I would use 'As' instead of 'When' because these actions are so close to being simultaneous.)

CoincidenceWhen I was leaving the house, my mum always reminded me to take my hat with me.

The 'always' spoils it. Without 'always' you have a good sentence. That way it means During the time it took me to take leave, my mum reminded me (on one occasion) to take my hat.

With 'always' you make the aspect habitual. This forces a "whenever" interpretation on "when", and the aspect after "when" should also be non-continuous. When(ever) I left the house, my mum always reminded me to take my hat with me.

CoincidenceWhen I left the house, it was snowing.I left, closed the door - as you have said - a short action that happened at a point of time. This explains why the Past Simple should be used.

Correct. Here the snowing was something that lasted a lot longer than the leaving, so it's quite different from the case above about leaving the restaurant. Typically when you have a sentence in the past with two clauses connected by "when", "while", or "as", the action or event that spreads out over a greater period of time gets the continuous tense and the one that takes less time (or is practically instantaneous) gets the simple tense.

CJ

Coincidence · Answer

Thank you for this exhaustive explanation.

Kind regards

Past Simple / Past Continuous

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