‘Used to’ and ‘Would’
Talking about the past

Used to
 When?
 In the past.
 Describes an action or state that no longer still happens.
 States include: be, have, live, love, believe
 Example:
 I used to live in France.
 I used to love her, but I had to leave her.

Would
 When?
 In the past.
 Describes repeated actions but not states.
 Slightly more formal than “used to”
 Example:
 When I was young, I would eat chocolate every day.
 Back then, I would walk to school every day.

Examples
 When I was young I used to play baseball.
 I used to have a dog.
 My grandmother would always tell stories after dinner.
 People would get very angry when the laws changed.
 In those days people would hunt for food.
 When I was a child I would wake early every day.

Practice
1. When we were young, my brother _________
take me to the park.
2. I __________ believe in Santa Claus.
3. When I was a student, I __________ save my
money until the weekend, and then spend it all.
4. I had a dog who __________ bark all night.
5. His girlfriend ___________ complain about him
all the time.
used to/would
used to/would
used to/would
used to/would
used to

Practice
 Think about yourself when you were in primary school.
 What routines did you have?
 What did you do regularly?
 Write five sentences using “used to” or “would”.