used to and would — English Grammar Exercises
"We used to live there, we would go every summer" — past habits, and where used to and would part ways.
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Form of used to
| example | |
|---|---|
| positive | I used to work there. · He used to be a soldier. |
| negative | I didn't use to work there. · He didn't use to be a soldier. |
| question | Did you use to work there? · Where did he use to live? |
There is no present form of used to. For a present habit, use the present simple: ❌ I use to go to work by bus. → ✅ I go to work by bus.
Don't confuse used to do with be / get used to doing:
- I used to spend time on my own. (= I did, but I don't now.)
- I'm used to spending time on my own. (= I'm comfortable with it.)
used to — past habits and past states
Use used to + infinitive for regular past actions that no longer happen and past states that are no longer true:
I used to take the bus to work every day. · He used to be a soldier.
Frequency adverbs work naturally with used to: I always used to swim before breakfast. We never used to stay up late.
would — past habits only
Use would + infinitive for regular past actions that no longer happen:
When we first moved here, people would stop and talk in the street.
A common pattern: a description starts with used to and continues with would:
When he was younger, he used to go on difficult expeditions and he would take risks ...
would is only for past actions, not states: ❌ France would have a king. → ✅ France used to have a king.
used to or past simple?
Use past simple (not used to) for:
- a single completed action: ❌ I used to have an exam last week. → ✅ I had an exam last week.
- a specific period: ❌ He used to be in Greece for two years. → ✅ He was in Greece for two years.
- a specific number of times: ❌ We used to swim twice. → ✅ We swam twice.
Use used to when you want to emphasise the contrast between past and present: My sister works in an office now, but she used to work on a farm.
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ |
|---|---|
| I didn't used to like coffee. | I didn't use to like coffee. |
| Did you used to play tennis? | Did you use to play tennis? |
| People today use to spend hours online. | People today spend hours online. |
| France would have a king. | France used to have a king. |
| I used to have an exam yesterday. | I had an exam yesterday. |
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When I was a child, I ___ a lot of cartoons on Saturday mornings.
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used to watch
Past habit that no longer happens — 'used to' + base form.
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My grandfather ___ a teacher before he retired.
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used to be
'Used to' for a past state that is no longer true. 'Would' is only for past actions, not states.
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We ___ have a car when I was young.
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didn't use to
Negative of 'used to' is 'didn't use to' (no -d after 'use').
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___ wear a uniform at school?
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Did you use to
Question form is 'Did you use to ...?' (no -d after 'use'). 'Were you used to' means 'were you accustomed to' — different meaning.
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Every summer my family ___ a big picnic in the garden.
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would have
'Would' + base form for a regular past action.
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France ___ a king.
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used to have
'Have a king' is a state — only 'used to' works, not 'would'.
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I ___ my driving test last Friday.
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took
A single completed event takes past simple, not 'used to' or 'would'.
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He ___ in Greece for two years before moving to Spain.
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was
A specific period of time takes past simple, not 'used to'.
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These days I ___ to work by bus.
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go
There is no present form of 'used to'. Use the present simple — 'I go to work by bus'.
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I always ___ swim before breakfast when I was a teenager.
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used to
Frequency adverbs like 'always / never' work naturally with 'used to'.
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She ___ on a farm, but now she lives in the city.
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used to live
'Used to' emphasises the contrast between past and present — 'used to live ... but now lives'.
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When we lived in the country, neighbours ___ in the street to chat.
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would stop
'Would' + base form for a regular past action.
Used to and Would: Talking About Past Habits
'Used to' and 'would' both describe repeated actions or long-term situations in the past that are no longer true, and at B1–B2 level they are frequently taught and tested together because their overlap is exactly where errors cluster. Learner-corpus research on past-habit forms shows that the most common mistake is not confusing tense, but overextending 'would' into contexts where only 'used to' is grammatical — specifically, past states rather than repeated actions. A second reliable error cluster involves the spelling of 'used to' in negatives and questions, where the '-d' is dropped ('didn't use to', not 'didn't used to'). This topic works through both patterns systematically: where 'used to' and 'would' genuinely overlap, where 'would' is blocked, how to form the negative and question correctly, and the separate, unrelated structure 'be used to' (accustomed to).
Where They Overlap: Repeated Past Actions
For a habitual action repeated many times in the past and no longer true, both 'used to' and 'would' are correct, and the choice is largely stylistic. 'Would' often appears in more narrative, descriptive contexts, frequently alongside a time expression like 'every summer' or 'on Sundays'.
When we lived in the country, neighbours would stop in the street to chat.
On Sundays we would go for a long walk in the woods.
When I was a child, I used to watch a lot of cartoons on Saturday mornings.
Where 'Would' Cannot Be Used: Past States
'Would' describes actions, not states. A state — a fact, a feeling, a possession, a description, or a belief that was true over a period rather than something someone repeatedly did — takes only 'used to'.
France used to have a king. ('have a king' = state, not 'would have')
When I was little, my hair used to be much lighter.
I used to believe that ghosts were real, but I don't any more. ('believe' = state verb)
We used to have a dog when I was growing up. ('have a pet' = state, not an action)
Negative and Question Forms: No '-d' After Did
Although the positive form is spelled 'used to' with a 'd', the negative and question forms use 'did' as the auxiliary and drop the 'd', leaving plain 'use to'.
Did you use to wear a uniform at school? (not 'did you used to')
We never used to stay up late when we were children. ('never used to' = didn't use to')
'Would' does not have a distinct negative habitual form of its own in this pattern; when learners need to negate a past habit, 'didn't use to' is the standard structure, not 'wouldn't'.
No Present Form: Use the Present Simple Instead
'Used to' has no present-tense equivalent. A current habit, in contrast to a past one, simply takes the present simple.
I drink green tea every morning these days.
Past Simple Instead: Single Events and Specific Counts
Neither 'used to' nor 'would' is correct for a single completed event, a specific period of time, or an action that happened a stated number of times — these all take the plain past simple.
He was in Greece for two years before moving to Spain. (a specific period, not 'used to be')
We swam in the pool twice during our stay at the hotel. (a counted number of times)
The Used to / Now Contrast
'Used to' is especially natural for setting up an explicit contrast between how things were and how they are now.
I used to be vegetarian, but I started eating meat again last year.
Be Used to: A Different Structure Entirely
'Be used to + noun/-ing' means 'accustomed to, familiar with' and describes a present (or past) state of familiarity — it has nothing to do with habits that have stopped.
I'm used to rude comments online — they don't upset me any more.
Common Mistakes
✗ We didn't used to have a car. → ✓ We didn't use to have a car. (no -d after 'did')
✗ Did you used to wear a uniform? → ✓ Did you use to wear a uniform?
✗ These days I use to go to work by bus. → ✓ These days I go to work by bus. (no present form of 'used to')
✗ I used to take my driving test last Friday. → ✓ I took my driving test last Friday. (single event)
✗ I'm used to work from home now. → ✓ I'm used to working from home now. ('be used to' + -ing)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between used to and would?
Both describe repeated actions or habits in the past that no longer happen: 'We used to go / We would go to the beach every summer' mean almost the same thing. The key difference is that 'used to' can also describe a past state — a situation, feeling or fact that is no longer true — while 'would' cannot. 'My grandfather used to be a teacher' is correct because 'be a teacher' is a state; 'My grandfather would be a teacher' is wrong. In practice, 'used to' is the safer, more general choice; 'would' is reserved for repeated actions and works best when the past habit is already clear from context.
Why can't I say 'France would have a king'?
'Would' for past habits only works with actions — things someone did repeatedly, like visiting, walking, or picnicking. It cannot describe a state: a fact, a possession, a feeling, or a description that was simply true over a period. 'Have a king', 'be a teacher', 'live on a farm' and 'believe in ghosts' are all states, so only 'used to' is correct with them: 'France used to have a king', not 'France would have a king'. This is the single clearest rule that separates the two forms, and it's the reason 'used to' is used far more often than 'would' overall.
How do you make the negative and question forms of used to?
Despite the '-d' spelling in the positive form ('I used to smoke'), the negative and question forms drop the '-d' and use plain 'use to' after the auxiliary 'did': 'I didn't use to like it', 'Did you use to wear a uniform?'. Writing 'didn't used to' or 'did you used to' is a very common spelling error, since the '-d' feels like it should stay for consistency. An alternative, equally correct negative is 'never used to': 'We never used to stay up late', meaning the same as 'didn't use to'.
What is the difference between 'used to' and 'be used to'?
'Used to + base verb' describes a past habit that has stopped: 'I used to drink coffee every morning' (I don't anymore). 'Be used to + noun/-ing' means 'accustomed to, familiar with' and can describe a present situation: 'I'm used to working from home now — I've done it for years' means I find it normal now, not that I used to do it in the past and stopped. The two structures share the words 'used to' but have almost opposite meanings — one marks something as finished, the other marks something as familiar and ongoing.
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