What tense is used in "They were living in the city before they moved to the countryside."?

The sentence "They were living in the city before they moved to the countryside" uses the Past Continuous tense. This tense describes actions or situations that were ongoing in the past. In this case, "were living" indicates that the activity of living in the city was in progress at a specific time in the past, before the action of moving to the countryside occurred.

The use of Past Continuous often sets the scene or provides background information for another event, which is reflected in this sentence as it highlights the continuity of the living situation prior to a distinct change (the move). The word "before" signals a sequence of events, showing that the living situation was happening continuously until the point of moving.

This understanding of the Past Continuous tense helps to clarify its role in conveying a sense of duration and context in past narratives.