Table of Contents
Used to
Definition
We used to work really hard but we're retired now.
Uses
Used to is used to talk about past habits, actions that happened regularly in the past but which no longer occur and states that are no longer true.
It can be used as an alternative to the past simple to emphasise past repetition or a contrast between the past and present.
Construction
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
|
subject + 'used to' + bare infinitive |
subject + 'did' + 'not' + 'use to' + bare infinitive |
'did' + subject + 'use to' + bare infinitive
|
|
I used to smoke. |
I didn't use to smoke. |
Did you use to smoke?
|
Examples
Summers used to be so much longer and warmer when I was a child.
It used to take me an hour to drive to work so I go by train now - it's much quicker.
I didn't use to enjoy driving but, in my new car, I love it!
My son and his wife never used to visit us when we lived in the south. It was too far to travel with the children.
Where did you use to work? Did you have a good boss?
Confusion with to be used to
To be used to means to be accustomed to or familiar with something or someone but it is sometimes confused with used to.
I used to live in a big house so I was used to having a lot of space. Now I live in a much smaller house but I'm getting used to it.
