used to / would
Build your vocabulary with practical examples
Level B1
used to (past habits, no longer true)
used to play
/juːst tə pleɪ/
I used to play tennis as a kid.
used to live
/juːst tə lɪv/
We used to live in London.
used to smoke
/juːst tə smoʊk/
He used to smoke, but he quit.
used to be
/juːst tə biː/
She used to be very shy.
would (repeated past actions)
would visit
/wʊd ˈvɪzɪt/
Every summer, we would visit our grandparents.
would tell stories
/wʊd tel ˈstɔːriz/
Grandfather would tell us stories at bedtime.
would walk
/wʊd wɔːk/
I would walk to school every morning.
Negatives
didn't use to
/ˈdɪdənt juːs tə/
I didn't use to like coffee, but now I love it.
never used to
/ˈnevər juːst tə/
She never used to go out at night.
Questions
Did you use to
/dɪd juː juːs tə/
Did you use to live abroad?
What did you use to
/wɒt dɪd juː juːs tə/
What did you use to do at weekends?
be used to vs used to (different meaning!)
am used to
/əm juːst tə/
I am used to getting up early. (familiar)
got used to
/ɡɒt juːst tə/
She got used to the cold weather. (became familiar)