Past Perfect Tense. Use #2: The Duration before Something in the Past (Stative Verbs)
If something has started in the past and
continued up to another time or action in the past we use the past perfect to
describe “how long” the action lasted. Note that we can also use the past
perfect continuous here, so we normally use the past perfect simple with
stative verbs in progress. We should note, however, that the action does not
need to be happening this very second. For instance, “I am reading War and
Peace”. This is a process that takes time. I am not reading it this very
second, but the process of reading it is still taking place.
Example: When he graduated, he had been in Moscow
for four years. (He arrived in Moscow 4 years before he graduated and lived
there until he graduated or even longer.)- Когда он окончил школу,
он был в Москве четыре года. (Он приехал в Москву за 4 года до того, как
окончил школу и жил там до окончания или даже дольше).
