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Assume that I want to say that I lived for a while in one country, but then I moved away.

What tense do I need to use for that purpose?

e.g.:

I had been living in England for 2 years, but then in 2015 I moved to the USA

or

I lived in England for 2 years, but then in 2015 I moved to the USA

I've also heard somebody saying this:

I used to live in Canada for 5 years, but then in 2015 I moved to the USA

Question: What forms are correct and what aren't? And what's the best way to express this thought?

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    It depends on the context in which you wish to use this sentence: in connection with the moment of speech or as an account of the past only or...
    – fev
    Jul 13, 2021 at 10:43
  • You must choose a tense relative to the context. E.g., "I moved to America in 2016. I had been living in England for 2 years." The first sentence establishes the context. The move occurred AFTER I lived in England. I assume that the sentences leading up to yours also establish a context. Please edit your post to show them.
    – Jeffrey Carney
    Jul 13, 2021 at 10:43
  • @JeffreyCarney updated the question
    – Coder4Fun
    Jul 13, 2021 at 10:47
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    All of your examples are grammatically correct. The first is unnecessarily complex: the last is more appropriate for informal English, for example conversation.
    – JavaLatte
    Jul 13, 2021 at 11:33
  • All three can be correct in given contexts.
    – fev
    Jul 13, 2021 at 11:37

1 Answer 1

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The past perfect may always be used to indicate that one past action preceded another, but it need not be used if sequence is irrelevant or if the sequence is otherwise specified. Perhaps its most frequent use is to emphasize the sequence.

I had lived in England before I moved to America

emphasizes the order of events.

I lived in England before I moved to America

specifies the same sequence of events. There is no difference in meaning.

I used to live in England, but then I moved to America.

emphasizes that my residence in England is over. Again, it specifies a sequence, but here what is being stressed is a contrast between the past and the present.

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