would -used to

would -used to

To revise used to and would

When did you last..

We use used to + bare infinitive for

• a) actions that we did regularly in the past, but that we don't do now.

  Our family used to produce olive oil when I was young.

  We used to live in New York when I was kid.

   

  b) states that existed in the past, but that don't exist now.

  I used to love eating out but now I prefer cooking at home.

  She used to smoke but she gave up a few years ago.

Would

We used would + bare infinitive for actions that we did regularly in the past, but that we don't do now. We don't use it for past states.

 

Their mother would cook something special at the weekends.

My dad would read me amazing stories every night at bedtime.

Open Ended

What's the difference between used to and would?

State vs action verbs

• Action verbs (run, eat, go, walk, think, argue, find, drink, dance, play, feel, etc.): Son verbos que hablan de acciones.

• State verbs (be, understand, like, love, hate, know, sound, depend, remember, prefer, etc.): Son verbos que hablan más de estados y no de acciones. Estos verbos no se suelen poner en la forma continua.

  I’m knowing. I know.

  I’m not preferring. I don’t prefer.

QUICK TIP:

  

Usa ¨used to + verbo¨ para hablar sobre acciones recurrentes y para estados a largo plazo en el pasado. I used to want to live in a big city, but not anymore.

Usa ¨would + verbo¨ para hablar sobre acciones recurrentes en el pasado (NO para estados). I would fight a lot with my sister when we were young, but now we’re good friends.