The Habitual Past

The Habitual Past

USED TO

• We use used to + infinitive to talk about states or habits that were true in the past but are not true now. Habits are repeated actions. ex. I used to hate classical music, but now I love it :) d

• In affirmative statements we use used to

• In negative statements and questions we use use to without -d. We may also use never used to instead of didn´t use to. ex. I didn´t use to like classical music instead of I didn´t used to like classical music / I never used to watch YouTube videos, but now I like them.

Would

• We often use a mixture of used to and would when we describe past habits. We start with used to and continue with would. ex. I used to do a lot of exercise when I was in high school. I would play tennis every weekend and go swimming four times a week.

• We DO NOT use would to describe states. Instead we use used to or the simple past. ex. I hated / used to hate vegetables when I was a kid NOT I would hate vegetables..

SIMPLE PAST

• We may use either used to or the simple past when the habitual meaning is clear. We often use a mixture of used to and the simple past to describe past situations. ex. I didn´t use to play any sports when I was younger. I hated sports

• We use the simple past instead of used to when we talk about single actions or say how many times something happened. ex. We went to Rio three times when we were young NOT We used to go to Rio when...

PAST CONTINUOUS WITH ALWAYS

• We can use the past continuous with always to show that something happened repeatedly or to talk about things that were annoying. ex. I remember her well. She was always sitting outside when I went by.

Would vs Had

• When we talk about the past, the contraction ´d may mean the habitual past would or the past perfect had. Be careful not to confuse them. ex. Every night, we´d go for a swim in the lake. (=we would)

• We´d just gotten out of the water when we saw my sister. (=we had)