YOU SAID:
there once was a man named
INTO JAPANESE
かつて一人の男がいた
BACK INTO ENGLISH
There used to be a man
INTO JAPANESE
以前は男性だった
BACK INTO ENGLISH
I used to be a man before.
INTO JAPANESE
私は以前は男性だった。
BACK INTO ENGLISH
I used to be a man before.
That didn't even make that much sense in English.