Learn Spanish (Spain): Viví en Madrid durante tres años.

Viví en Madrid durante tres años.

I lived in Madrid for three years.

Breakdown of Viví en Madrid durante tres años.

in / on / by (means of transport) / about (after pensar)

Questions & Answers about Viví en Madrid durante tres años.

Why is the verb viví and not vivía?

Viví is the preterite (simple past) tense. We use it here instead of the imperfect tense (vivía) because the sentence mentions a specific, completed time frame: durante tres años (for three years). The action has a clear beginning and end in the past.

Could I use por instead of durante to say 'for three years'?

Yes, you can sometimes use por to talk about duration. However, durante is the most common and natural word in Spain to mean 'for' when talking about how long a completed action lasted.

Why doesn't the sentence start with the word yo (I)?

In Spanish, the verb ending usually tells you who is doing the action. The ending -í in viví can only mean 'I lived'. Adding yo is not needed unless you want to put special emphasis on yourself.

Could I use desde hace instead of durante to mean 'for'?

Not in this sentence. You use desde hace when an action started in the past and is still happening now. Because the verb viví shows you no longer live there, you must use durante to talk about the completed block of time.