[A] He said, «I am living in London» (estilo directo); He said he was living in London (estilo indirecto). [B] I’m leaving tonight. I’ve got my plane ticket; He was busy packing, for he was leaving that night, (la decisión de partir había sido hecha algún tiempo antes). [C] He was always ringing me up; He was always working.
El tiempo puede usarse como un equivalente pasado del presente continuo:
[A] – Estilo directo: He said, «I am living in London.»
– Estilo indirecto: He said he was living in London.
[B] De la misma manera que el presente continuo se usa para expresar un plan futuro definido (con fecha):
- I’m leaving tonight. I’ve got my plane ticket.
el pasado continuo puede expresar este tipo de futuro en el pasado:
– He was busy packing, for he was leaving that night. (La decisión de partir había sido hecha algún tiempo antes.)
[C] El pasado continuo con always:
- He was always ringing me up.
- He was always working.
A Practical English Grammar (A.J. Thomson & A.V. Martinet) 