Grammar guide Updated 2026-10-04

Used to / Would: How to Teach Past Habits and States

Two forms carry most of the past-habit work in English. Used to plus a base verb covers past habits and states that have ended; would covers repeated past actions only. The real trouble is a third lookalike, be used to, so plan that contrast on the board.

The forms in one line

Draw the three structures side by side before any example, because the words are nearly identical and the difference lives in what follows to.

Habits and states are not the same

Used to accepts both habits and states; would accepts habits only. Give that point board time.

State verbs such as be, have, know, live and own describe a continuing situation, so they reject would.

Negatives and questions

The past form sits inside did, so the verb after it stays in the base form.

• Negative: I didn't use to like coffee. The more formal written version is I used not to like coffee.
• Question: Did you use to play tennis at school? The short answer is Yes, I did, not Yes, I used to.

Learners will meet didn't used to in films; it is common in informal speech, while the standard written form keeps use.

The three-way confusion

• used to do looks back. I used to swim at the lake every summer.
• be used to doing describes the present. I am used to swimming in cold water now.
• be used to do describes a purpose in the passive. This pool is used to train beginners.

The clue is the verb after to: base verb means past habit, -ing means accustomed, and a passive base verb means purpose. Have learners label each sentence P, A or U, and the error rate drops within a lesson. The modal verbs guide is a useful companion, because would is a modal.

Time markers that anchor the form

A past-habit sentence wants a time marker so the listener knows which period you mean: when I was a child, in the 1990s, back then, every summer. Without one, I would play tennis sounds like a conditional.

Used to and the past simple

The past simple names a finished event: I walked to school yesterday. Used to names a repeated habit no longer true: I used to walk to school. With a finished date or a definite number of times, the past simple is usually better. The past continuous guide covers the overlapping timeline learners need next.

Teaching in three steps

1. Timeline. Draw a line with a gap between the past and now. The gap does the explaining: used to means that period is closed.
2. Rewrite. Pairs turn present sentences into past habits: I get up at six becomes I used to get up at six when I lived at home. Then ask which sentences would also accept would.
3. Tell it. Learners describe three childhood habits in ninety seconds, using used to four times and would once. A state attempt stops mid-sentence, which makes the split real.

Drill 1: state or action cards

Prepare twenty verb cards: smoke, own, visit, know, play, live, believe, walk. Pairs sort them into state and action columns, then say one sentence from each column aloud. State verbs take used to only; action verbs take either form.

Drill 2: rewrite present to past habit

Read a present sentence and have learners answer with a past habit and a detail. I drink tea every morning. Response: I used to drink coffee every morning before this job. A state verb must take used to for a point. The timed classroom drills page has a scoring format.

Drill 3: find someone who used to

Hand out a grid: play a sport, live in another city, have a pet, get up before six. Learners circulate and ask Did you use to ...?, then report back: Marta used to live in Lisbon, and she would visit her grandmother every weekend. The follow-up forces the would clause into real use.

Errors to correct early

• would with a state. I would have a bicycle. Correct: I used to have a bicycle.
• used to plus -ing. I used to living in Paris. Correct: I used to live in Paris.
• be used to plus base verb. I am used to get up early. Correct: I am used to getting up early.
• Double past in questions. Did you used to play? Correct: Did you use to play?
• Missing time marker. Better: I used to play tennis every Sunday when I was at school.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use would for every past situation?

No. Would only works for repeated past actions already set up by a time marker or the previous sentence. It does not work for past states: say I used to have a bicycle, never I would have a bicycle.

What is the difference between used to and be used to?

Used to plus a base verb describes a past habit or state no longer true: I used to live in Madrid. Be used to plus a noun or an -ing form describes being accustomed now: I am used to living in Madrid. One looks back; the other describes the present.

Should I write did not use to or did not used to?

Write did not use to and Did you use to play tennis? The past lives in did, so the verb after it stays in the base form. You will hear did not used to in casual speech, but the standard written form keeps use.

How is used to different from the past simple?

The past simple names a finished event: I walked to school yesterday. Used to names a repeated past habit no longer true: I used to walk to school. With a finished date, the past simple is usually better.

Why do learners confuse used to with be used to do?

Because the surface words look almost the same. Used to do looks back at a habit, be used to doing means be accustomed to, and be used to do describes a passive purpose, as in This oven is used to bake bread. The verb after to is the clue.

Keep reading

• Past Continuous: How to Teach Was Doing
• Modal Verbs: How to Teach Can, Should and Would
• Quantifiers: How to Teach Some, Any and Much
• Past Perfect: How to Teach Had Done