The past continuous and habitual past (ماضی استمراری)

می‌ plus the simple past

Take the simple past and put می‌ in front of it. That is the whole rule.

Negative: نمی‌رفتم. Compound verbs: کار می‌کردم (I used to work), صحبت نمی‌کردیم.

بودن and داشتن take no می‌ here either: بودم, داشتم.

Three jobs

1. A habit in the past — English "used to" or "would":

• هر تابستان به شمال می‌رفتیم. — Every summer we used to go to the north.
• بچه که بودم، زیاد کتاب می‌خواندم. — When I was a child I read a lot.

2. Background to another event:

• وقتی رسیدم، باران می‌بارید. — When I arrived it was raining.
• او تلویزیون تماشا می‌کرد و من غذا می‌پختم. — He was watching television and I was cooking.

3. Unreal situations, in the اگر sentence and in its result (lesson 29):

• اگر پول داشتم، این خانه را می‌خریدم. — If I had money, I would buy this house.
• کاش می‌دانستم. — I wish I knew.

When the moment matters

For "I was doing it exactly then", the داشتن progressive is sharper:

• داشتم می‌رفتم که تلفن زنگ زد. — I was on my way out when the phone rang.

Simple past or continuous

Watch out as an English speaker

• "Used to" is not a separate verb in Persian; می‌ carries it on its own: ✗ هر روز به مدرسه رفتم. / ✓ هر روز به مدرسه می‌رفتم.
• Do not mix it up with the present: می‌روم is "I go", می‌رفتم is "I used to go".
• Plain داشتن takes no می‌ in the past: ✗ می‌داشتم / ✓ داشتم. Its compounds do take it: برمی‌داشتم، نگه می‌داشتم.
• English "would" also reports a future ("He said he would come"); there Persian keeps the present: ✗ گفت که می‌آمد. / ✓ گفت که می‌آید.

Example dialogue

بچه که بودی کجا زندگی می‌کردی؟ — Where did you live as a child?
در یک روستای کوچک. هر روز پیاده به مدرسه می‌رفتم. — In a small village. I walked to school every day.
سخت نبود؟ — Wasn't it hard?
نه، عادت داشتیم. زمستان‌ها برف می‌آمد و ما بازی می‌کردیم. — No, we were used to it. In winter it snowed and we played.