Past simple tense to describe simultaneous actions?
I know that we can use past progressive tense to describe parallel actions.

e.g. I was studying while he was making dinner.

This conveys the meaning that the two actions were happening at the same time. Can we use past simple tense to express simultaneous actions too?

e.g. I studied while he made dinner.

Is the above sentence correct? If so, does it have the same meaning as the one with past progressive tense?

Question

Past simple tense to describe simultaneous actions?
I know that we can use past progressive tense to describe parallel actions.

e.g. I was studying while he was making dinner.

This conveys the meaning that the two actions were happening at the same time. Can we use past simple tense to express simultaneous actions too?

e.g. I studied while he made dinner.

Is the above sentence correct? If so, does it have the same meaning as the one with past progressive tense?

Answer

They are both the same.  It would be better to use the past progressive/continuous tense if you wanted to emphasize the time period you both were doing something.  For example, "From 8 to 10 last night, I was watching the cricket match while my wife was talking on the phone."  Or, if the police asked you what you were doing last night at 11:00 p.m., you could say, "I was sleeping and my wife was reading a book."

Answer

Yes, you can use two verbs in the past simple in this way, and your sentence is correct.

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