what is the difference between these two sentences as far as tense goes?

Question

We walked.

We were walking.

can these two be used interchangeably? for instance would this be gramatically correct:

We walked to the store; we were walking because the bus was late.

i always thought this was right but it doesnt seem so now.

are they both considered past tense or is there a special catergory that i forgot about?

i know this is a dumb question but please, dont answer all at once!!

Answer 1

'We walked' is in the past simple tense.
The past simple tesense expresses an action that completed in the past.
'We were walking' is in the past continuous or past imperfect tense.
The past continuous tense is used to express an action that was going on at certain time in the past. pls remember that it expresses an action that was going on ..... not completed one....
so those two sentences can not be used interchangeably

Answer 2

Your answer is correct. "We walked" is the perfect tense -it is a finished action. "We were walking " is the imperfect tense - it is an unfinished action. If u put "We were walking to the store" it implies that there is something else going to happen - it is not a finite verb. However, "We walked to store because the bus was late" is also grammatically correct if u wanted only one sentence. Hope this hasn't confused u too much.

Answer 3

"We walked" is simple past tense: something happened in the past. "We were walking" is past progressive tense: past tense that suggests a continuing activity in the past.
Your sentence with both tenses of "walk" is fine. You could also say "We walked to the store because the bus was late." That sentence, and yours, are equally correct ways of expressing the thought, in slightly different ways.