English
​
Answer:

He used to go out after 5pm.

Did you know?

For a negative statement or a question, remove the -ed.

Eg.

I didn't use to swim every weekend. ✅

Did they use to read books together?

Would

  1. Like "used to", we can also use "would" to talk about a habit that happened regularly in the past, but no longer happens.

    Compare these two sentences. They mean the same thing:

    I used to play tennis a lot, but I don't play often now. ✅

    I would play tennis a lot, but I don't play often now. ✅

  2. The verb after "would" is also in the base form.

    We would lie on the beach all day during the summer. ⬅️

    She would never hurt me, even when she had bad days. ⬅️

Wait a minute. Does that mean I can use "used to" and "would" the same way?

A man sweating heavily.

The answer is yes and no.

Same or Different?

Although "used to" and "would" are both used to talk about past actions, they're different in some ways.

Used to

  1. Can be used with both stative verbs (such as feel, belong) and action verbs (such as run, write).

    E.g.

    I used to feel nervous before exams. ✅

    I used to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    Forest Gump running down a road.

  2. Less formal than "would", and can be used in all forms.

    E.g.

    I used to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    I didn't use to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    Did I use to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays? ✅

Would

  1. Can be used with action verbs, but NOT with stative verbs.

    E.g.

    I would feel nervous before exams. ❌

    I would run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    spongebob biting his nails

  2. More formal than "used to", and often used in storytelling in a positive form.

    E.g.

    I would run 10 kilometers on Saturdays when the weather was good. ✅

Quiz

"5 years ago, my family _____ have a picnic every weekend. Now, it's impossible as we live in different cities." What can you use to fill in the gap?

Answer:

either "used to" or "would"

Did you know?

It's helpful to get yourself familiar with some common stative verbs.

Take Action

A man says, "You'll get used to it."

You're ready to talk about past habits! In the next few minutes:

Rumie logo

This logo isn't an ad or affiliate link. It's an organization that shares in our mission, and empowered the authors to share their insights in Byte form.
Rumie vets Bytes for compliance with our Standards. The organization is responsible for the completeness and reliability of the content.
Learn more about how Rumie works with partners.

License:

Meet Grace. When she was 10 years old, she sang a lot. But now, she doesn't.

A cartoon girl singing into a microphone. How do you explain this situation?

She used to sing a lot?

or

She would sing a lot?

or

both?

Stay calm, and let's figure it out together!

Used to

  1. We use "used to" to talk about a habit that happened regularly in the past, but no longer happens.

    E.g. I used to play tennis a lot, but I don't play often now.

    Stewie from Family Guy plays tennis.

  2. "Used to" is always used in the past. You can't remove the -ed ending in a positive statement.

    I used to swim every weekend. ✅

    I use to swim every weekend. ❌

  3. The verb form after "used to" is the base form (the form without any tense). Check out more examples of the base form.

    She used to buy milk on weekends. ⬅️

    They used to read books together. ⬅️

Quiz

Choose the correct sentence:

Did you know?

For a negative statement or a question, remove the -ed.

Eg.

I didn't use to swim every weekend. ✅

Did they use to read books together?

Would

  1. Like "used to", we can also use "would" to talk about a habit that happened regularly in the past, but no longer happens.

    Compare these two sentences. They mean the same thing:

    I used to play tennis a lot, but I don't play often now. ✅

    I would play tennis a lot, but I don't play often now. ✅

  2. The verb after "would" is also in the base form.

    We would lie on the beach all day during the summer. ⬅️

    She would never hurt me, even when she had bad days. ⬅️

Wait a minute. Does that mean I can use "used to" and "would" the same way?

A man sweating heavily.

The answer is yes and no.

Same or Different?

Although "used to" and "would" are both used to talk about past actions, they're different in some ways.

Used to

  1. Can be used with both stative verbs (such as feel, belong) and action verbs (such as run, write).

    E.g.

    I used to feel nervous before exams. ✅

    I used to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    Forest Gump running down a road.

  2. Less formal than "would", and can be used in all forms.

    E.g.

    I used to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    I didn't use to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    Did I use to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays? ✅

Would

  1. Can be used with action verbs, but NOT with stative verbs.

    E.g.

    I would feel nervous before exams. ❌

    I would run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    spongebob biting his nails

  2. More formal than "used to", and often used in storytelling in a positive form.

    E.g.

    I would run 10 kilometers on Saturdays when the weather was good. ✅

Quiz

"5 years ago, my family _____ have a picnic every weekend. Now, it's impossible as we live in different cities." What can you use to fill in the gap?

Did you know?

It's helpful to get yourself familiar with some common stative verbs.

Subscribe for more quick bites of learning delivered to your inbox.

Unsubscribe anytime. No spam. 🙂

Take Action

A man says, "You'll get used to it."

You're ready to talk about past habits! In the next few minutes:

License:

Your feedback matters to us.

This Byte helped me better understand the topic.

#learning-to-learn

#learning-strategies

#practical-skills

#info

#applying-concept

#english-help

#language-learners

#learning-approaches

#canada-newcomer

#usa-newcomer

New Bytes

We publish fresh Bytes daily, we can send you a notification when that happens.

​

Did you know?

For a negative statement or a question, remove the -ed.

Eg.

I didn't use to swim every weekend. ✅

Did they use to read books together?

Would

  1. Like "used to", we can also use "would" to talk about a habit that happened regularly in the past, but no longer happens.

    Compare these two sentences. They mean the same thing:

    I used to play tennis a lot, but I don't play often now. ✅

    I would play tennis a lot, but I don't play often now. ✅

  2. The verb after "would" is also in the base form.

    We would lie on the beach all day during the summer. ⬅️

    She would never hurt me, even when she had bad days. ⬅️

Wait a minute. Does that mean I can use "used to" and "would" the same way?

A man sweating heavily.

The answer is yes and no.

Same or Different?

Although "used to" and "would" are both used to talk about past actions, they're different in some ways.

Used to

  1. Can be used with both stative verbs (such as feel, belong) and action verbs (such as run, write).

    E.g.

    I used to feel nervous before exams. ✅

    I used to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    Forest Gump running down a road.

  2. Less formal than "would", and can be used in all forms.

    E.g.

    I used to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    I didn't use to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    Did I use to run 10 kilometers on Saturdays? ✅

Would

  1. Can be used with action verbs, but NOT with stative verbs.

    E.g.

    I would feel nervous before exams. ❌

    I would run 10 kilometers on Saturdays. ✅

    spongebob biting his nails

  2. More formal than "used to", and often used in storytelling in a positive form.

    E.g.

    I would run 10 kilometers on Saturdays when the weather was good. ✅

Quiz

"5 years ago, my family _____ have a picnic every weekend. Now, it's impossible as we live in different cities." What can you use to fill in the gap?

Answer:

either "used to" or "would"

Did you know?

It's helpful to get yourself familiar with some common stative verbs.

Take Action

A man says, "You'll get used to it."

You're ready to talk about past habits! In the next few minutes:

Rumie logo

This logo isn't an ad or affiliate link. It's an organization that shares in our mission, and empowered the authors to share their insights in Byte form.
Rumie vets Bytes for compliance with our Standards. The organization is responsible for the completeness and reliability of the content.
Learn more about how Rumie works with partners.

License:

Recommended Bytes