USED TO AND WOULD

Dear students,

We have studied that to talk about actions that happened in the past but that do not happen any more in the present, we use the expression USED TO or WOULD.

Image from Google

AFFIRMATIVE: You used to watch Friends on TV. (used to+ infinitive)
NEGATIVE: You didn't use to watch Friends on TV.
INTERROGATIVE: Did you use to watch Friends on TV?

AFFIRMATIVE: You would watch Friends on TV. (used to+ infinitive)
NEGATIVE: You wouldn't watch Friends on TV.
INTERROGATIVE: Would you watch Friends on TV?




Altough they mean the same (solía), there are some differences in use:

• We use USED TO with past habits or states:


• I used to visit my grandmother every Saturday (solía visitar a mi abuela todos los sábados). This is a habit.
• I used to live in Valladolid when I was a teenager (Solía vivir en Valladolid cuando era adolescente). This is a state.

• We use WOULD only for habits, never for states:
• I would visit my grandmother every Saturday.
• I would  used to live in Valladolid when I was a teenager.

Image from Google

If you want to see some examples in songs:

Here you have some exercises to review the use of this structures:

Used to 1

used to and would

used to and would 2

I hope you found this post useful.

Natalia