YOU SAID:
there once was man in the middle of the sea
INTO JAPANESE
かつて海の真ん中に人がいました
BACK INTO ENGLISH
There used to be a person in the middle of the sea
INTO JAPANESE
海の真ん中に人がいた
BACK INTO ENGLISH
There was a person in the middle of the sea
INTO JAPANESE
海の真ん中に人がいました
BACK INTO ENGLISH
There was a person in the middle of the sea
That didn't even make that much sense in English.