Was + going or did not??

Question

She wasn't going to the doctor's when i saw her.Or She didn't go to the doctor when i saw her.Which one is correct?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

She wasn't going to the doctor's when i I saw her.
This one is correct (as modified).
CJ

Happyhour123 · Answer

May I know what is the difference? Because "did" also is a past tense, right?

CalifJim · Answer

A negative (not) in the simple past tense with a verb that shows an action (go) indicates that an event did not happen. There was never a completion of the event -- no arrival at the doctor's.
If an event was never completed, there is no time at which it happened.
So the sentence says,
There was no time at which she went to the doctor's and arrived there, and at that time I saw her.
But there is nothing that "that time" can refer to, because there was no time that any arrival at the doctor's happened.
___
With the progressive form, however, there is no focus on the completion of an event, so the meaning changes to the following:

For a period of time she was in the process of doing something other than traveling to the doctor's, and during that time period, I saw her.
____
To summarize: The simple past (did not go) is about arrival at a destination. The past progressive (was not going) is about traveling -- being in motion.
CJ

Was + going or did not??

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