Some things belong to the past — a childhood hobby, a job you no longer have, a city you used to live in. English has a dedicated structure for exactly this: used to + base verb. It signals clearly that something happened repeatedly or was true for a period, but is not true now.
Quick form: subject + used to + base verb → I used to play football. She used to live here.
What used to expresses
Used to covers two kinds of past situations:
Past habits — repeated actions or routines that no longer happen:
- I used to walk to school every day. (I don't now)
- We used to meet every Friday. (we don't any more)
- He used to smoke. (he has stopped)
Past states — situations or conditions that were true for a period but have changed:
- She used to be very shy. (she isn't now)
- They used to live in Paris. (they live somewhere else now)
- I used to love spicy food. (my tastes have changed)
The key idea is contrast with the present: used to always implies "but things are different now."
Forming used to
The form is used to + the base verb (infinitive without to). It does not change for person or number:
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I / he / she / it | used to + verb | He used to work nights. |
| you / we / they | used to + verb | They used to have a dog. |
Used to is a fixed past expression: it does not change for person or number, and negatives and questions normally use did. There is no present-tense equivalent (I use to… is not standard English).
Don't confuse used to + base verb with be used to + noun / -ing:
- I used to get up early. = I did this in the past, but not now.
- I*'m used to** getting up early.* = it feels normal to me now. These are different structures with different meanings.
Negatives: didn't use to
To make a negative, add didn't and drop the -d from used:
didn't use to + base verb
- I didn't use to like vegetables. (but now I do)
- She didn't use to go to the gym. (now she does)
- We didn't use to have a car. (now we do)
The safest and most widely taught written form is didn't use to — didn't already carries the past, so the -d is dropped from use. You may also see usedn't to in formal or older British English, and didn't used to in speech (the pronunciation of use to and used to is identical), but didn't use to is the standard written form.
Questions: Did … use to?
To form a question, use Did + subject + use to + base verb:
- Did you use to play an instrument?
- Did she use to live near here?
- What did you use to do at weekends?
Short answers: Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
The safest written form is Did … use to? — did already signals the past, so the -d is dropped from use.
Used to vs. past simple
Both can describe past situations, but used to adds the idea of repetition or duration and implies it has ended:
| Past simple | Used to |
|---|---|
| I walked to school. (one or more times — neutral) | I used to walk to school. (regular routine, now stopped) |
| She lived in Rome. (factual, no comment on now) | She used to live in Rome. (implies she doesn't now) |
When you give the total number of occasions in the whole past period, use the past simple: ✅ I visited Rome three times. But used to is fine with frequency expressions: ✅ I used to visit Rome three times a year.
For a single past event, the past simple is the only option: ✅ I met her in 2015. (not used to meet — it wasn't a repeated habit)
Used to vs. would
For past habits (repeated actions), would is an alternative in stories and reminiscences, especially when the past-time context is already clear:
- Every summer we would rent a cottage by the lake.
- He would always bring flowers on Fridays.
Would is not usually used for one continuous past state — possession, knowledge, or general feeling. For B1 learners, a safe rule is: use used to for past states:
- ✅ She used to be very shy. = a general past state. She would be very shy needs a repeated-context frame, e.g. Whenever guests came, she would be very shy.
- ✅ We used to have a garden. ❌ We would have a garden. (sounds conditional)
Safe rule: used to works for both habits and states; would works for repeated past actions and behaviour.
Common mistakes
- ❌ I use to work there. → ✅ I used to work there. (affirmative always has the -d)
- ❌ I didn't used to smoke. → ✅ I didn't use to smoke. (drop the -d after didn't)
- ❌ Did she used to live here? → ✅ Did she use to live here? (drop the -d after did)
- ❌ I used to meet her three times. → ✅ I met her three times. if you mean three times in total; ✅ I used to meet her three times a week. = a regular past habit
- ❌ She would be my best friend. → ✅ She used to be my best friend. (would can't replace used to with states)
Quick check
Which form fits?
- I ____ (use to / used to) ride my bike to work.
- She ____ (didn't use to / didn't used to) like horror films.
- ____ (Did he use to / Did he used to) play football as a child?
- When I was little, every evening my grandfather ____ (used to / would) sit by the fire and read. (both possible — why?)
- We ____ (used to / would) have a cat when I was little. (which is correct — why?)
Show answers
- used to (affirmative keeps the -d)
- didn't use to (no -d after didn't)
- Did he use to (no -d after did)
- both used to and would — it is a repeated action, so both work
- used to only — have (possession) is a state verb, so would is not possible here
Key takeaways
- Used to + base verb describes past habits and states that no longer apply — it always implies contrast with the present.
- The form never changes for person: I / she / they used to…
- Negatives: didn't use to (no -d on use). Questions: Did … use to?
- For past habits, would is an alternative in narrative style — but used to is the only option for past states (be, have, love…).
- The past simple is the right choice for a single event or a stated total number of occasions (I visited Rome three times) — but used to is fine with frequency (three times a week).