When to use "he" vs "habia"?

Question

In the sentences

Yo he vivido en Vancouver por dos anos

Yo habia vivido dos anos en Vancouver antes de mudarme aqui

Why does one use habia in the second sentence? Can you "he" and "habia" be used interchangeably? If not what are the correct circumstances for each one.

Thank you

He and había can be used by themselves rather that as auxiliary verbs in forming perfect tenses. - 0074b507, May 31, 2011

Answer 1

Yo he vivido en Vancouver por dos anos

Yo habia vivido dos anos en Vancouver antes de mudarme aqui

The grammar in Spanish here is exactly like that in English:

I have lived in Vancouver for two years. (Present perfect - use of haber int the present indicative tense as a helping verb to indicate that an event has been completed.)

I had lived in Vancouver for two years before moving here. (Past perfect - use of the imperfect of haber as a helping verb to indicate that an event had been completed prior to the completion of another past event.)

He and Habia in your examples are not interchangeable. Translate "he" as "have" and "habia" as "had" and you will see why. - Jeremias, May 30, 2011