What is the difference 'studied' and 'have studied'?

"I studied English for 3 years.""I have studied English for 3 years."?

"I studied English for 3 years." = no longer studying
"I have studied English for 3 years." = still studying

lucas21cI studied English for 3 years.

There is a time gap between the three-year period and the present moment.

[studied English] .................................. X (now)
< - - 3 years - - >

lucas21cI have studied English for 3 years.

There is no time gap.

.....................................

Then, what is the difference between "I studied English for 3 years" and "I had studied English for 3 years"?

I also want to know. The difference between these two has always been a mystery to me.

lucas21cThen, what is the difference between "I studied English for 3 years" and "I had studied English for 3 years"?

I studied English for three years in the past.

I had studied English for three years before some later past time known to or implied by the speaker.

Could it be that I have/had studied doesn't make sense on its own and you have to make an addition to it? Like:

I had studied English for 3 years
I had studied English for 3 years before I moved to Europe

Does the first one make any sense?

geoyoCould it be that I have/had studied doesn't make sense on its own and you have to make an addition to it?

Did you read my last post?

geoyoI had studied English for 3 years

That's fine, if a later past time is known about. It doesn't necessarily have to appear in the same sentence as the past perfect.

A.How w

I'm sorry fivejedjon, I did not fully understand the second line in your last post. But I am beginning to understand it. What about this example:

What did you do last year?
I had studied English

Or this:

I moved to England. Then, I had studied English for three years. After that, I moved back home.

Am I right that these are bad examples

geoyoWhat did you do last year?I had studied EnglishOr this:I moved to England. Then, I had studied English for three years. After that, I moved back home. Am I right that these are bad examples for using the variant with "I had studied" and one should use "I studied" instead?

Yes, they are bad examples."I had studied English" is not correct. "I studied Engl

Does "I have studied English for 3 years" mean that I am still studying English? If so, does "I have studied English for 3 years and today I started to study French" sound awkward?