We often use the past simple and the past continuous together to say that something happened in the middle of something else:
- Matt phoned while we were having dinner.
- It was raining when I got up.
- I saw you in the park yesterday. You were sitting on the grass and reading a book.
- I hurt my back while I was working in the garden.
But we use the past simple to say that one thing happened after another:
- I was walking along the road when I saw Dan. So I stopped, and we had a chat.
Compare:
- When Karen arrived, we were having dinner. (= we had already started before she arrived)
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- When Karen arrived, we had dinner. (= Karen arrived, and then we had dinner)
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