に住んでいました
ni sunde imashita
The phrase 'I used to live in' in Japanese is expressed as に住んでいました (ni sunde imashita).
This phrase is used to describe a place where someone resided in the past but no longer does.
Which one should you use?
に住んでいました and に住んでいた focus on the state of having lived in a location, while the informal expression 昔住んでた specifically emphasizes that it was in the past by using the word for 'old times'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The polite form に住んでいました is suitable for speaking to strangers, colleagues or acquaintances. For casual conversation with friends or family, use the informal form に住んでいた or the even more casual 昔住んでた.
How do you pronounce it?
ni sunde imashita
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the particle を (the object marker) when stating where you lived. Instead, always use the particle に (the location marker) to indicate the place of residence.
Did you know?
- If you are describing a place you lived in for a very short time, such as a temporary apartment for a few weeks, you might use 滞在していました 'taizai shite imashita' instead of 住んでいました. Using 住む implies a settled residence with a formal address.
- While English uses 'live' for both breathing and residing, Japanese keeps these concepts strictly separate. To talk about your past residence, you must use 住む, as using 生きる would imply you were merely surviving in that location.
- While 住んでいました describes where you lived, Japanese people often use the phrase 出身です 'shusshin desu' to indicate where they are originally from, even if they lived in multiple cities as children.
Examples in context
- 私は過去に東京に住んでいました。I used to live in Tokyo.
- 以前は京都に住んでいたよ。I used to live in Kyoto.
- 昔、東京に住んでいました。Mukashi, Toukyou ni sunde imashita.I used to live in Tokyo a long time ago.
- 学生の頃、大阪に住んでいました。Gakusei no koro, Osaka ni sunde imashita.I used to live in Osaka when I was a student.
- 以前は、横浜に住んでいました。Izen wa, Yokohama ni sunde imashita.I used to live in Yokohama previously.
Example conversation
Two acquaintances meeting at a cafe and talking about their hometowns.
- 健太 Kenta結衣さんは、どこに住んでいましたか？Yui-san wa, doko ni sunde imashita ka?Yui, where did you used to live?
- 結衣 Yui私は京都に住んでいました。Watashi wa Kyoto ni sunde imashita.I used to live in Kyoto.
- 健太 Kentaいいですね！京都はとても綺麗です。Ii desu ne! Kyoto wa totemo kirei desu.That's nice! Kyoto is very beautiful.
- 結衣 Yuiはい、とても素敵な街でした。Hai, totemo suteki na machi deshita.Yes, it was a very lovely city.
