we were currently

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "we were currently" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to indicate that something was happening at the moment of speaking or writing, or shortly before that moment. For example, "We were currently discussing the upcoming election when the power went out."

✓ Grammatically correct

Academia

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

Second, I centered our sections on the connections between what we were currently discussing and what we had learned before.

University of California, Berkeley

LAHOUSEN: We were currently informed of all happenings by our officials at the front or in the camps.

Yale University

I doubt they'd realised they might have actually to eat one of the raw, slimy things we were currently floating over.

The Guardian - Books

Rob, who, like everyone else, was not laughing, pointed out that we were currently at half the height of Mount Everest.

The New York Times - Sports

He read from a friend's Facebook post: the day we were currently living in, it said, was the day that Doc and Marty McFly had travelled to at the end of "Back to the Future".

The New Yorker

Specifically, I asked students to "translate" the content of the first scene of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, which we had read earlier in the semester, into the style of Andrei Bely's modernist novel Petersburg, which we were currently reading.

University of California, Berkeley

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

We are currently living overseas.

The New York Times

"We are currently investigating".

The New York Times

We are currently interviewing.

The Guardian

We are currently seeking a publisher.

The New York Times

We are currently evaluating all alternatives".

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "we were currently" to provide context about a past action that was ongoing. It helps establish a timeline for your narrative.

Common error

Don't use "we were currently" when the ongoing nature is already clear from the surrounding text. Overuse can make your writing sound repetitive.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "we were currently" functions as an adverbial phrase modifying a verb, indicating the timing and ongoing nature of an action in the past. As noted by Ludwig, it specifies that something was happening at a specific moment in the past.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Academia

30%

Science

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "we were currently" serves to contextualize past actions, indicating that they were ongoing at a specific point in time. As Ludwig AI explains, it's grammatically sound and useful for providing a temporal reference. While versatile enough for both news and academic contexts, as evidenced by its presence in The New York Times and university publications, care should be taken to avoid redundancy. Alternatives such as "we were in the process of" or "at that moment we were" can offer stylistic variation. Ultimately, "we were currently" helps in creating a clear timeline, improving narrative flow.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

we were in the process of

Replaces 'currently' with 'in the process of', emphasizing the ongoing nature of the action.

we were presently

Uses 'presently' as a synonym for 'currently', which can sound slightly more formal.

we were at that moment

Substitutes 'currently' with 'at that moment', highlighting a specific point in time.

we were in the midst of

Emphasizes being actively involved in something at the time of reference.

at that time we were

Reorders the phrase for a slightly different emphasis, focusing on the time.

we were engaged in

Highlights active participation or involvement in an activity.

we found ourselves

Changes the focus to the situation one was in, rather than the action itself.

we were occupied with

Suggests that attention was focused on something at the time.

we happened to be

Introduces an element of chance or coincidence to the ongoing action.

we were busy with

Implies a state of being actively involved and possibly hurried.

FAQs

How can I use "we were currently" in a sentence?

The phrase "we were currently" is used to describe an action or state that was in progress at a specific point in the past. For instance, "We were currently evaluating the results when the experiment failed" indicates the timing of the evaluation.

What are some alternatives to "we were currently"?

Depending on the context, you could use phrases like "we were in the process of", "we were presently", or "at that moment we were" to convey a similar meaning.

Is there a difference between "we are currently" and "we were currently"?

Yes, "we are currently" describes something happening now, while "we were currently" describes something that was happening at a specific time in the past.

When is it appropriate to use "we were currently" over simpler past tense?

Use "we were currently" when you want to emphasize the ongoing nature of an action in the past, especially if it relates to another event or point in time. For example: "We were currently developing the application /s/when+the+funding+was+cut when the funding was cut"