Used To and Would

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 2

Used to and Would

We use both of these expressions to talk about things we did in the past, but we no longer do them.
For example:

● When I was a toddler, I used to sleep after lunch ----> I don't do it anymore.

● When I was a toddler, I would sleep after lunch I ---> don't do it anymore.

"used to" expresses past habits, regularly repeated actions in the past and past states

For example:

● Sara used to travel a lot. Now she hardly ever leaves her neighbourhood. (past habit)

● When I was younger, I used to go to the dentist once every three months. (regularly repeated
action)

● We used to have a dog. Now we have a cat. (state)

To make a negative sentence, use didn't use to.

● Brian didn't use to listen to music much before he started dating a band singer.

● I didn't use to like cooking when I was younger.

● Sean never used to drink much coffee.

To make a question:

For example:

● Did you use to read a lot when you were a student?

● Did your children use to believe in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause?

● How early did you use to get up at your previous job?

WOULD

We use would in the same way as used to; but we can't use it with stative (statyczne) but action
verbs (dynamiczne) only

For example:

● We would go and play tennis every Sunday when we lived abroad.

● I would sleep till noon on Saturdays when I was younger.

● Simon would play basketball every day when he was a teenager.

● My parents would be very nice and polite. (My parents used to be very nice and polite.)

● Tara would have a big car. (Tara used to have a big car.)

● My family would believe in me when I was a student (My family used to believe in me when I was
a student.)

We normally use would to talk about things from the past with nostalgia.
For example:

When I was very young, I would visit my grandparents every summer. My grandma would make
pancakes for breakfast and we would eat together. She would tell me stories about my father when
he was my age. After that, we would sit in the garden or go swimming in the river nearby.
Sometimes, I miss those days and my grandparents a lot.

We form negative sentences by adding NOT to would.

● I wouldn't eat bacon for the world when I was a kid.

● They wouldn’t start learning for the exam until it was very close. T

● Would you stay up all night in high school?

● How hard would you study for your exams?

We use would for actions, but not for states.

For example:

● Peter used to go fishing. He would get up early, around 4 o'clock, he would pack his fishing
equipment and wouldn't come back before he caught a full bag of fish.

● Our teacher used to be a young, intelligent lady. (not would be)

● There would be a lot of spectators watching the famous swimmer jump into the pool from a height
of 10 meters.

Remember that you can use used to without establishing the time period but not would.

For example:

● Bob used to drink a lot. (we don't know when)

● Bob would drink a lot before he got married. (Bob would drink a lot doesn't mean anything
without the time reference.) Let's say that would is more formal than used to. It means that we use
used to in casual everyday conversation while would is more formal and polite.

You might also like