Answer:
I <u>met</u> Tom and Jane at the airport a few weeks ago. They <u>were going</u> to Paris and I <u>was going</u> to Rome. We <u>had</u> a cht while we <u>were waiting</u> for our flights.
I <u>was cycling </u> home yesterday when a man <u>stepped</u> out into the road in front of me. I <u>went</u> quite fast, but luckily I <u>managed</u> to stop in time and <u>didn't hit </u> him.
I <u>saw</u> Sue in town yesterday, but she <u>didn't see</u> me. She <u>was looking</u> the other way.
Explanation:
In English, the past continuous tense describe actions that started in the past and they continued for sometime (a short period of time) after the action began. Examples are main verbs and having "-ing": were going, was going, were waiting, etc.
While the simple past tense describes a completed action which took place in a time before now. This is usually the basic form of past tense in English. Examples are met, stepped, managed, etc.