Which tense? or What tense?

Question

What tense is better? What did you do today or what were you doing today?

I wake up in the morning , then I had breakfast later I was learning or I had been learning German for a couple of hours later I went out of gome to do some food shooping. I was hanging around at the market for a couple of hours because I wanted to buy some fresh fruit and vegetables

Blue Jay · Accepted Answer

layla1234What tense is better? What did you do today or what were you doing today?

Usually What did you do today? would be used. In some contexts What were you doing today? might be appropriate.

I woke up in the morning, then I had breakfast. Later I learned (or studied) German for a couple of hours. Later I went out ~~of gome~~ to do some food shopping. (It is usually not necessary to say where you went out from if it is already understood where you were to start with. You can just say I went out. If you wish to be specific you can say I went out of the house or I left the house (not the home)) I hung around at the market for a couple of hours because I wanted to buy some fresh fruit and vegetables.

Layla1234 · Answer

Thanks for help. Can you tell me in what contexts can What were you doing today might be appropriate? Can you give some examples? Why can't I say I was hanging around at the market for a couple of hours etc..? I thought I can use PAST CONTINUOUS when an actions lasts for a couple of hours..?

Blue Jay · Answer

layla1234Can you tell me in what contexts can What were you doing today might be appropriate?

-I've been telling you every day for a week to clean your room!
-I haven't had time. I've been busy doing other things.
-What were you doing today?

layla1234Why can't I say I was hanging around at the market for a couple of hours

Past Continuous is usually used when describing actions that were ongoing at a particular time in the past, either specified or implied. (Note than in the above example the implied time is when you could have been cleaning your room.)
I was hanging around at the market when I saw my old friend.
The phone rang while she was eating breakfast.
They were not at home that day because they were travelling in Tibet.

We usually use the Simple Past to describe events that are completed.
I hung around at the market for a couple of hours this afternoon, and saw an old friend.
This morning she ate breakfast and talked on the phone.
They travelled in Tibet last year. They were in Tibet when we went to their home in New York.

I was hanging around at the market for a couple of hours because I wanted to buy some fresh fruit and vegetables would be a good reply to the question Why were you hanging around the market this afternoon?
As a description of your day it would usually only be appropriate if it were followed by something like when X happened.

Which tense? or What tense?

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