used to
Past habits and states that are no longer true.
We use 'used to + base verb' to talk about past habits or states that happened regularly or were true in the past but are no longer true now. For example, 'I used to play football every Saturday' means I played it regularly in the past but I don't any more. The form never changes for different subjects — we always say 'he used to', 'they used to', 'she used to' (NOT 'he uses to'). For negatives, we use 'didn't use to + base verb': 'She didn't use to like vegetables.' Notice that 'use to' (without the 'd') appears in questions and negatives because 'did' already carries the past meaning. For questions, we say 'Did you use to live here?' (NOT 'Did you used to'). 'Used to' can only describe the past — it has no present form; to describe present habits we say 'usually' or 'normally'. For example: 'He used to ride his bike to school, but now he takes the bus.'
Rules
- 1Use 'used to + base verb' for past habits or states that no longer exist: 'I used to wake up early.'
- 2The form is the same for all subjects — never add -s or change it: 'She used to sing' (NOT 'she uses to sing').
- 3In negatives, use 'didn't use to' (no 'd' on use): 'They didn't use to have a car.'
- 4In questions, use 'Did + subject + use to': 'Did he use to work here?' (NOT 'Did he used to').
- 5'Used to' has no present tense form — use 'usually' or 'normally' for current habits.
Practice
10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard