subject + used to + base verbUse this to talk about repeated actions or states in the past. The main verb stays in the base form.
Used To vs Would
B1Use used to and would for repeated past actions. Only used to works for past states, and would needs a clear past context.
What you'll learn
- Talk about past habits with used to + base verb.
- Use would for repeated past actions in a clear past context.
- Choose used to, not would, for past states like be, know, or live.
- Check that would has a past time frame around it.
- Keep the main verb in base form after used to.
Structure
past context + subject + would + base verbUse would for repeated past actions after a past time frame is already clear. Do not use it for past states.
Build a sentence
Subject
Verb
Sheused to play tennis
She used to play tennis on weekends.
After used to, keep the main verb in base form.
When to use
Childhood routines
Talk about regular actions in an earlier period of life. Maya used to walk to school every day.
Past stories
In a story or memory, would shows repeated actions after the past setting is already clear. Every summer, we would swim in the lake.
Past states
Use used to for old situations, feelings, or facts. Omar used to live near the station.
Markers
when I was a kidevery summerin those dayson weekendsafter schoolas a child
Common mistakes
Wrong
Tom use to play chess after school.
Correct
Tom used to play chess after school.
In affirmative sentences, the form is used to, not use to.
Wrong
Lisa used to played tennis on weekends.
Correct
Lisa used to play tennis on weekends.
After used to, the main verb is base form. Do not add a second past marker.
Wrong
Anna would be very shy as a child.
Correct
Anna used to be very shy as a child.
Would works for repeated past actions, not for past states like be.
Wrong
Would visit his grandmother every Sunday.
Correct
When he was a child, he would visit his grandmother every Sunday.
Would needs a past setting. Add a past time frame or use used to.
Wrong
One day Maria would miss the bus.
Correct
One day Maria missed the bus.
Would here sounds habitual, but one day shows a single finished event.
Common misconceptions
❝ Used to and would are always interchangeable for the past. ❞
They overlap for repeated past actions, but only used to works for past states like be, know, have, or live.
❝ Would only talks about imaginary situations. ❞
Would can also describe repeated past actions when the past setting is already established.
Skills in this rule (6)
PAST_HABITS_WITH_USED_TOw5Use used to for past habits and repeated past actions
Use used to when a person did something regularly in the past but not now. It often contrasts past life with the present.
PAST_HABITS_WITH_WOULDw5Use would for repeated past actions
Use would for actions that happened again and again in the past. The meaning is habitual, not conditional.
ONLY_USED_TO_FOR_PAST_STATESw5Use only used to with past states
For past states like live, know, be, have, like, or believe, use used to. Do not use would for a past state meaning.
NEED_PAST_CONTEXT_FOR_WOULDw4Use would for habits only when the past time is already clear
Would for past habits needs a clear past setting from the sentence or context. Used to can introduce the past habit by itself.
FORM_USED_TOw5Build used to + base verb correctly
After used to, the main verb stays in the base form. Do not add another past ending to the main verb.
MARKERS_FOR_PAST_HABITSw3Recognize time markers that fit past habits
Phrases like when I was a kid, every summer, and in those days point to repeated life in the past and help with used to or would.