اللغة الإنجليزية — Used To and Would: Talking about Past Habits — 3rd Year Middle School — Algerian Curriculum

Used To and Would: Expressing Past Habits

In English, we use “used to” and “would” to talk about past habits, repeated actions, or states that are no longer true. These structures help us describe how things were different in the past.

Used To

Structure: Subject + used to + base verb

• Affirmative: “I used to play football every weekend when I was young.”
• Negative: “She didn’t use to like vegetables.”
• Question: “Did you use to live in Oran?”

Uses of “Used To”:

• Past habits: “He used to wake up early every morning.”
• Past states: “They used to have a small house in the countryside.”
• Contrast with present: “I used to smoke, but I quit last year.”

Would

Structure: Subject + would + base verb

• “Every summer, we would visit our grandparents in Constantine.”
• “She would always tell us stories before bed.”

Difference: Used To vs Would

• Used to can describe both actions and states. “I used to have a bicycle.” (state – correct)
• Would can only describe repeated actions, NOT states. “I would have a bicycle.” (state – incorrect)
• Would is more common in formal or narrative writing to describe past routines.

Exercises

Exercise 1: Complete with “used to” or “would” (or “didn’t use to”):

1. My grandfather _______________ (tell) us stories about the war.
2. I _______________ (not/like) coffee, but now I drink it every day.
3. When we were children, we _______________ (play) in the park every afternoon.
4. She _______________ (be) very shy when she was young.
5. They _______________ (live) in a small village before moving to the city.

Exercise 2: Rewrite these sentences using “used to”:

1. When I was a child, I played with dolls. → I _______________

2. My father was a teacher. Now he is retired. → My father _______________

Answers

Exercise 1: 1. used to tell / would tell, 2. didn’t use to like, 3. used to play / would play, 4. used to be, 5. used to live

Exercise 2: 1. I used to play with dolls when I was a child. 2. My father used to be a teacher.