Look at these examples to see how used to, would and the past simple are used.
They used to live in London.
I didn't use to like olives.
We would always go to the seaside for our holidays.
But one holiday we went to the mountains instead.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Grammar explanation
When we talk about things in the past that are not true any more, we can do it in different ways.
Used to + infinitive
We can use used to to talk about past states that are not true any more.
We used to live in New York when I was a kid.
There didn't use to be a supermarket there. When did it open?
Did you use to have a garden?
We can also use used to to talk about past habits (repeated past actions) that don't happen any more.
I used to go swimming every Thursday when I was at school.
She used to smoke but she gave up a few years ago.
used to + infinitive should not be confused with be/get used to + -ing, which has a different meaning. The difference is covered here.
Would
We can use would to talk about repeated past actions that don't happen any more.
Every Saturday I would go on a long bike ride.
My dad would read me amazing stories every night at bedtime.
would for past habits is slightly more formal than used to. It is often used in stories. We don't normally use the negative or question form of would for past habits. Note that we can't usually use would to talk about past states.
Past simple
We can always use the past simple as an alternative to used to or would to talk about past states or habits. The main difference is that the past simple doesn't emphasise the repeated or continuous nature of the action or situation. Also, the past simple doesn't make it so clear that the thing is no longer true.
We went to the same beach every summer.
We used to go to the same beach every summer.
We would go to the same beach every summer.
If something happened only once, we must use the past simple.
I went to Egypt in 2014.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello Team. Could you please help me? Which one is correct or both? Please, could you use a simple language?
- He (would walk - used to walk) to work, but now he no longer does.
Thank you.
Hello Ahmed Imam,
Both 'He would walk to work' and 'He used to walk to work' are correct.
It's not incorrect to say 'He would walk to work but he no longer does' or 'He used to walk to work but no longer does', but these two sentences aren't very natural. This is because 'would walk' and 'used to walk' already include the idea that he doesn't do this anymore. So if you say 'but he no longer does', it's repeating an idea that has already been communicated.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Thank you so much. I always appreciate your help.
Good evening from Vietnam!
I suppose that both 'would walk" and "used to walk" fit well here as both "would" & "used to" refer to past habits (repeated past actions). However, "used to" is also used to talk about past states or emotions. Hope this helps.
Hello, sir!
I was wondering if it is OK to put "would" in the sentence: "Harrison Ford _________ accept the strangest jobs before he became an actor". There's no context given in the textbook, and the given answer is "used to". But I personally find it OK to put "would". Does my thought hold any water?
Thanks for your time.
Hello Radioheady,
Yes, would is fine in that context. 'Accept' is not a stative verb and therefore both used to and would are possible to describe past habits.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you so much, sir!
Hello, Sir!
I was wondering if we can use the past simple to talk about past habits that don't do now. If we can, is the same as the present continuous?
1. I used to play football every Sunday when I was at school. (I don't play it now)
2. I played football every Sunday when I was at school. (Can it mean that I still play it now?)
3. I have been playing football every Sunday since I was at school. (Is it the same as sentence 2?)
Thank you for your time.
Hello Sokhomkim,
There are no present continuous forms in any of those sentences! There is a present perfect continuous in the third sentence, however.
In terms of the meanings of the sentences, the first and second have the same meaning. The past simple (I played) can describe a single action or (with a phrase like every Sunday) repeated or habitual actions, so it can be used with the same meaning as used to.
The third sentence is different. The form here is present perfect continuous and it describes an action which began in the past (when the speaker was at school) and which has not ended. In other words, this sentence tells us that the speaker still plays football every Sunday.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you very much, Sir.
In the lesson above, the past simple doesn't make it so clear that the thing is no longer true compared to "used to".
2. I played football every Sunday when I was at school. ( Is it possible that the situation in the sentence 2 is still true now? If so, I think it's similar to the present perfect continuous.
Thank you so much, Sir.