<p>I would say, as a Chinese, that Chinese language doesn't express tenses as explicitly and clearly as English does in most cases. Your translation of the first sentence(我在北京住了六个月) can be taken in both ways, in which case we figure out the tense by context. Past tense would be a better guess, though.</p>

<p>To remove uncertainties, you can say:</p>

<p>我在北京住<strong>过</strong>六个月。I lived in Beijing for six months.</p>

<p>我在北京住<strong>了</strong>六个月<strong>了</strong>。I have been living in Beijing for six months.</p>

<p>Or for added clarity:</p>

<p>我<strong>曾</strong>在北京住<strong>过</strong>六个月。I once lived in Beijing for six months.</p>

<p>我<strong>已经</strong>在北京住<strong>了</strong>六个月<strong>了</strong>。I have been living in Beijing for six months already.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-11T19:07:57.773Z
2014-11-13T20:00:03.017Z
2014-11-13T20:00:03.017Z
Susan Wang
<p>（１）我在北京住过6个月。我在北京住了六个月 seems ok too
（２）我已经在北京住了6个月。</p>

<p>as regards word order if 在 follows 住：</p>

<p>我（已经）住在了北京（６个月）</p>

<p>In fact 在了 seems to be a familiar sequence，also one can find example sentences online with 住在了，iciba immediately produces ３ of them， here is the first： 当他年老的时候他住在了一个群岛上, 远离这里. </p>

<p>In case 了 is replaced by 过，it seems the corresponding word order has to be </p>

<p>我住过在北京。</p>

<p>There are examples of this on the web （although apparently not in iciba）：住过在大学城，有人住过 在Imerovigli的Shine Hotel吗？</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-10T09:30:42.353Z
So "在北京" ALWAYS comes before "住"?
salamander
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-11T00:44:15.993Z
Good answer except that there is no 住过在. It should always be 在...住过. Your first example is casual speech in which grammar is unimportant, the second one is actually structured as 住过((在..的)Hotel), there is a difference.
Wang Dingwei
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-11T01:45:02.560Z
I've never seen the 在了 sequence before. Is there a difference in meaning between 住在了 and 在...住了?
salamander
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-11T07:58:45.077Z
我住在了北京 is okay (the meaning is slightly different as it conveys a sense that I settled down in Beijing not somewhere else) but 我已经住在了北京6个月 sounds ungrammatical. It should be 我已经在北京住了6个月
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-11T15:51:57.930Z
住在（larger geographical unit）seems to be a very common phrase，but since original question concerned sentences containing 过 or 了，users  must have been wondering why the other answer bringing up the possibility of placing 住 after the verb did not discuss what are the options with 过 or 了 present。Users with some reading experience would naturally place 在北京 before 住 in that case。＂住过在北京＂ sounds unfamiliar，and there also seemed to be suspiciously few examples on the web  containing the sequence 住过在。continued
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-11T15:52:32.370Z
There only seemed to be of the type 有人住过在Imerovigli的Shine Hotel吗？which as pointed
out has to be construed as  有人住过Shine Hotel吗？ with 在Imerovigli的 as attributive to Shine Hotel.
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-20T03:32:13.227Z
Hi, thanks for the input! FYI my original Q did not concern sentences containing 过 or 了, but more specifically where to place 了 and the connotations of the location.
salamander
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-10T09:13:23.450Z
2014-11-10T16:24:34.180Z
2014-11-10T16:24:34.180Z
user6065
<p>I am just trying to express in a natural way, I cannot tell you exactly why but it is what I have found:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>我在北京住<strong>过</strong>半年。</p></li>
<li><p>(<strong>最近</strong>)我<strong>刚</strong>在北京住满半年。/我<strong>才</strong>在北京住<strong>了</strong>半年。</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I have just lived in Beijing for 6 months <strong>(and it is so short, compared to what I expected.)</strong></p>

<p>(<em>have been doing</em> signifies the continuation of a past action.)</p>

<hr>

<p>I believe what you want to say is </p>

<ol>
<li><p>我在北京住了六个月。(I would rather translate it "It was 6 months I lived in Beijing.")</p></li>
<li><p>我住在北京六个月了。("It has been 6 months (since) I lived in Beijing.")</p></li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-11T00:11:48.237Z
2014-11-11T00:20:20.130Z
2014-11-11T00:20:20.130Z
Joseph S WU
<p>Chinese people like to make the tenses explicit:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>我<strong>曾</strong>在北京住<strong>过</strong>6个月。</p></li>
<li><p>我<strong>已经</strong>在北京住<strong>了</strong>6个月了。</p></li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-13T23:03:32.200Z
2014-11-13T23:03:32.200Z
Siyi Deng
<p>I want to say </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>1) "I lived in Beijing for six months."</p>
</blockquote>

<p>As in, I was there last year for six months but I am not living there anymore.</p>

<p>Furthermore, how can I distinguish it from </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>2) "I have been living in Beijing for six months."?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I am sure the secret lies in 了.</p>

<p>My answers (which I hope you can correct/confirm):</p>

<blockquote>
  <ol>
  <li>我在北京住了六个月 </li>
  <li>我住在北京六个月</li>
  </ol>
</blockquote>

<p>I'd appreciate any help!</p>

<verbs><past-tense>
How to say lived vs. have been living somewhere?
# How to say lived vs. have been living somewhere?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-11-10)

I want to say

> 1) "I lived in Beijing for six months."

As in, I was there last year for six months but I am not living there anymore.

Furthermore, how can I distinguish it from

> 2) "I have been living in Beijing for six months."?

I am sure the secret lies in 了.

My answers (which I hope you can correct/confirm):

> 1. 我在北京住了六个月
> 2. 我住在北京六个月

I'd appreciate any help!

**Tags:** verbs, past-tense


---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-11-11. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

I would say, as a Chinese, that Chinese language doesn't express tenses as explicitly and clearly as English does in most cases. Your translation of the first sentence(我在北京住了六个月) can be taken in both ways, in which case we figure out the tense by context. Past tense would be a better guess, though.

To remove uncertainties, you can say:

我在北京住**过**六个月。I lived in Beijing for six months.

我在北京住**了**六个月**了**。I have been living in Beijing for six months.

Or for added clarity:

我**曾**在北京住**过**六个月。I once lived in Beijing for six months.

我**已经**在北京住**了**六个月**了**。I have been living in Beijing for six months already.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-11-10. Score: 3

（１）我在北京住过6个月。我在北京住了六个月 seems ok too
（２）我已经在北京住了6个月。

as regards word order if 在 follows 住：

我（已经）住在了北京（６个月）

In fact 在了 seems to be a familiar sequence，also one can find example sentences online with 住在了，iciba immediately produces ３ of them， here is the first： 当他年老的时候他住在了一个群岛上, 远离这里.

In case 了 is replaced by 过，it seems the corresponding word order has to be

我住过在北京。

There are examples of this on the web （although apparently not in iciba）：住过在大学城，有人住过 在Imerovigli的Shine Hotel吗？

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So "在北京" ALWAYS comes before "住"?  
> **username_3**: Good answer except that there is no 住过在. It should always be 在...住过. Your first example is casual speech in which grammar is unimportant, the second one is actually structured as 住过((在..的)Hotel), there is a difference.  
> **username_0**: I've never seen the 在了 sequence before. Is there a difference in meaning between 住在了 and 在...住了?  
> **username_4**: 我住在了北京 is okay (the meaning is slightly different as it conveys a sense that I settled down in Beijing not somewhere else) but 我已经住在了北京6个月 sounds ungrammatical. It should be 我已经在北京住了6个月  
> **username_2**: 住在（larger geographical unit）seems to be a very common phrase，but since original question concerned sentences containing 过 or 了，users  must have been wondering why the other answer bringing up the possibility of placing 住 after the verb did not discuss what are the options with 过 or 了 present。Users with some reading experience would naturally place 在北京 before 住 in that case。＂住过在北京＂ sounds unfamiliar，and there also seemed to be suspiciously few examples on the web  containing the sequence 住过在。continued  
> **username_2**: There only seemed to be of the type 有人住过在Imerovigli的Shine Hotel吗？which as pointed out has to be construed as  有人住过Shine Hotel吗？ with 在Imerovigli的 as attributive to Shine Hotel.  
> **username_0**: Hi, thanks for the input! FYI my original Q did not concern sentences containing 过 or 了, but more specifically where to place 了 and the connotations of the location.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-11-11. Score: 0

I am just trying to express in a natural way, I cannot tell you exactly why but it is what I have found:

1. 我在北京住**过**半年。
2. (**最近**)我**刚**在北京住满半年。/我**才**在北京住**了**半年。

I have just lived in Beijing for 6 months **(and it is so short, compared to what I expected.)**

(*have been doing* signifies the continuation of a past action.)

---

I believe what you want to say is

1. 我在北京住了六个月。(I would rather translate it "It was 6 months I lived in Beijing.")
2. 我住在北京六个月了。("It has been 6 months (since) I lived in Beijing.")


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2014-11-13. Score: 0

Chinese people like to make the tenses explicit:

1. 我**曾**在北京住**过**6个月。
2. 我**已经**在北京住**了**6个月了。


---

