[Grammar] I had been working in the hotel for 4 years.

[ercantuncer]

Hi. I am confused about two sentences below.

1) I had been working in a hotel for 4 years.

2) I worked in a hotel 4 years.

I know that past perfect continuous is used when we talk about an action in the past that continued for a time until another action happened. I think that second sentence is correct but I am not sure if first sentence is possible to use. Can you explain for me ?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hi. I am confused about two sentences below.

1) I had been working in a hotel for four years.

2) I worked in a hotel four years.

I know that past perfect continuous is used when we talk about an action in the past that continued for a time until another action happened. I think that second sentence is correct but I am not sure if first sentence is possible to use. Can you explain for me ?

In #1, you're talking about something that happened in the past, four years after you began working at the hotel:

- I had been working there four years when the owner got arrested.

- I had been working there four years when I met her.

- Me: how long had you worked at the hotel when it burned down?
- You: I had been there for four years.

- I had been working there for four years, but I quit when I won the lottery.

- I'd been there four years, until I found a better job.