Before I came to Beijing， I worked in Shanghai.在我来北京之前，我在上海工作。

　　A    How long have you lived in Beijing？

　　A    你在北京住多久了？

　　B    I've been living and working in Beijing for seven years.

　　B    我在北京生活、工作已经七年了。

　　A    And before that？

　　A    在那之前呢？

　　B    Before I came to Beijing， I worked in Shanghai.

　　B    在来北京之前，我在上海工作。

　　A    Are you from Shanghai？

　　A    你是上海人吗？

　　B    Yes， I was born there and went to university there.

　　B    是的，我出生在那里，又在那里读的大学。

　　Notes                        注释

　　1When you ask about something that started in the past but continues to the present time， you use the Present Perfect tense，e.g.： How long have you lived in Beijing？

　　/ How long have you lived in Beijing？； I have been here for seven years / I have been here for seven years.当你谈论从过去开始一直持续到现在的某件事时，用现在完成法时态。例如：How long have you lived in Beijing？ / 你在北京住了多久了？；I have been here for seven years /我在这里已经七年了。

　　2If you are talking about something that is completely in the past，you use the Past Tense （sometimes called the Imperfect），e.g.： Before I came to Beijing， I worked in Shanghai / Before I came to Beijing I worked in Shanghai.如果谈论的事情完全发生在过去，则用过去时态（有时也叫做未完成时态），例如：Before I came to Beijing， I worked in Shanghai /在来北京之前，我在上海工作。

　　3Usually when you talk about your birthplace or year of birth，you use the Past Tense， e.g.： I was born in Shanghai / I was born in Shanghai； I was born in 1977 / I was born in 1977.在谈论出生地或者出生年份时，通常用过去时态，例如：I was born in Shanghai / 我出生在上海； I was born in 1977 /我出生在1977年。