was working
Il travaillait la nuit et dormait le jour.
He worked at night and slept during the day.
He worked here.
Il travaillait de neuf heures à cinq heures.
He worked from nine to five.
Avant, il travaillait dans la finance.
He used to work in finance.
Mo, il travaillait vraiment sur les morts ?
Mo, was he really working on the dead?
— Sacrifices of War (2011)
Il aurait aimé venir mais il travaillait ce jour-là.
He would have liked to come but he was working that day.