Lesson 195--By the time.....

 

When talking about the past, we have some good phrases using by the time,

When we focus on things that happened before we got there we use past perfect.

By the time I got to the theatre, the movie had already started.

By the time I got home, everyone had gone to bed.

When we focus on some action in progress we use past continuous.

By the time I got to the party, everyone was having a good time.

By the time I arrived at school, my classmates were taking a test.

Consider the following sentences.

1. By the time I entered the cinema, the movie had already started.
2. By the time I entered the cinema the movie was already playing.

Both sentences describe the same situation.  Sentence A focuses on the action already started, while sentence B focuses on what is happening at that exact moment.