Grammar
Used to: past habits and states
You see an old photo of your street. You can say, "We used to live there." Used to connects a past situation with the different situation now.
Use used to to talk about a past habit or state that is no longer true, and form clear negative sentences and questions.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
We used to walk here after class. /wi juːst tə wɔːk hɪə ˈɑːftə klɑːs/
The short answer
Use used to plus a base verb for a past habit or state that is no longer true. Say I used to walk to school or We used to have a dog. For negatives and questions, use did or didn't plus use to.
I used to take the bus to college.
Why it works: Used to shows that taking the bus was a regular past habit, but it is not the speaker's habit now.
5 more examples
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Mina used to live beside the park.
Live describes an old state, not one action that happened once.
Not this:Mina
livedbeside the park for one summer. What changes: The past simple gives a finished time period without focusing on a changed old state. -
My brother used to collect train tickets.
Collecting tickets was a repeated past hobby.
Not this:My brother
collecteda ticket from the desk yesterday. What changes: The past simple fits one finished action yesterday. -
We didn't use to eat dinner so late.
Didn't makes the negative, so the next word is use, not used.
Not this:We
used to eatdinner early. What changes: A positive sentence uses used to before the base verb eat. -
Did your family use to spend summers at the lake?
Did begins the question and carries the past meaning.
Not this:Your family
used to spendsummers at the lake. What changes: In a positive statement, used to follows the subject. -
I used to know every shop on this road.
Know can describe an old state of knowledge.
Not this:I
knewthe shop owner in 2018. What changes: The past simple can name a past fact when a finished time is the main point.
Read the full guide
First, ask whether the sentence looks back at a repeated action or an old situation. If it does, used to may fit. Then check the time: the speaker usually means that life is different now.
Talk about an old habit
Use used to when an action happened many times in the past. It can describe an old daily routine, a weekend activity, or a hobby. The form helps the listener see that the pattern belongs to an earlier time.
I used to read comics before bed.
Reading comics was a repeated past habit.
Choose the form for an old weekend activity: I ____ football on Saturdays.
Use used to play: I used to play football on Saturdays.
Describe an old state
Used to can also describe a state in the past. A state can be a home, job, feeling, possession, or fact about a person. It is not a single completed action.
Our town used to have one small cinema.
Having one cinema was the town's old situation.
Leila used to be afraid of dogs.
Which form fits an old home: They ____ near the airport.
Use used to live: They used to live near the airport.
Keep the main verb simple
After used to, use the base form of the main verb. Do not add an ending for the past. Used already shows that the habit or state belongs to the past.
She used to work in a bakery.
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Not this:
She used to worked in a bakery.Say: She used to work in a bakery.
Used already marks the past, so work stays in the base form.
Choose the correct words: He used to drive or He used to drove?
Use He used to drive. Drive is the base verb.
Make a negative with didn't use to
To say that an old habit or state was not true, use didn't use to plus a base verb. Did not already gives the past meaning. For this reason, write use, not used, after didn't.
I didn't use to like spicy food.
Didn't use to says that liking spicy food was not part of the speaker's past.
The buses didn't use to stop here.
Complete the negative: We didn't ____ to own a car.
Use use: We didn't use to own a car.
Ask a question with did
For a question, put did before the subject, then use use to and the base verb. The answer can give more detail about an old routine or situation.
Did you use to work on Saturdays?
Did comes first because the sentence is a question, and use stays in the base form.
Did your parents use to live abroad?
Which question is correct: Did she use to sing or Did she used to sing?
Use Did she use to sing? Did already marks the past.
Choose used to or the past simple
Choose used to when the old habit or state is the main idea. Choose the past simple for one finished event or when a finished time is the main point. Both forms can talk about the past, but they give a different focus.
We used to visit the museum every summer.
Every summer shows a repeated old habit.
We visited the museum last Saturday.
Last Saturday names one finished visit, so the past simple fits.
Before you go
Remember this
Use used to plus a base verb for an old habit or state that changed. Use didn't use to for a negative and Did ... use to? for a question. Choose the past simple when you only need to name a finished past event or time.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Used to: past habits and states"
What does used to mean?
Used to describes a habit or state in the past that has changed. I used to take the bus to college means that taking the bus was part of my old routine, but it is not my routine now.
I used to take the bus to college.
Can I use used to for a past state?
Yes. Use used to with past states such as a home, job, feeling, or knowledge. Mina used to live beside the park describes where Mina lived in an earlier period, while Leila used to be afraid of dogs describes an old feeling.
I take the bus to college now.
Why is the verb simple after used to?
Used already marks the past, so the next verb stays in its base form. Say She used to work in a bakery, not She used to worked in a bakery. The same pattern works with play, live, know, and many other verbs.
Mina used to live beside the park.
How do I make a negative with used to?
Use didn't use to plus a base verb for a negative. Say We didn't use to eat dinner so late. Did not carries the past meaning, so use has no d at the end in this form.
Mina lived beside the park for one summer.
When should I use used to instead of the past simple?
Use used to when an old repeated habit or changed state is the point. Use the past simple for one finished event, such as We visited the museum last Saturday. A phrase such as every summer often helps show a repeated old habit.
My brother used to collect train tickets.