Learn Spanish (Latin America): Ellos estaban descansando en el refugio mientras estaba lloviendo. - They were resting in the shelter while it was raining.

Ellos estaban descansando en el refugio mientras estaba lloviendo.

They were resting in the shelter while it was raining.

Breakdown of Ellos estaban descansando en el refugio mientras estaba lloviendo.

to be (location/state)

descansar

to rest

Questions & Answers about Ellos estaban descansando en el refugio mientras estaba lloviendo.

Why do we use estaban descansando here instead of the regular past tense?

Estaban descansando is the past continuous tense. It is made by combining the imperfect form of estar (estaban) with the gerund (descansando). We use it to emphasize that an action was currently in progress at a specific moment in the past, just like saying 'were resting' instead of 'rested' in English.

Why is the second verb estaba lloviendo (singular) when the first verb is estaban (plural)?

The first verb matches the subject ellos (they), so it is plural: ellos estaban. The second verb is about the weather (it was raining). Weather verbs in Spanish do not use a subject pronoun like 'it' and are always conjugated in the third-person singular, which is why we use estaba.

Could I just say mientras llovía instead of mientras estaba lloviendo?

Yes, absolutely! In Spanish, the regular imperfect tense (llovía) and the past continuous (estaba lloviendo) can often be used interchangeably to describe background actions in the past. Both translate well to 'while it was raining.' The past continuous just puts a little extra focus on the fact that the rain was actively falling right then.

How does mientras work in this sentence?