Grammar / B1+ Grammar lessons and exercises / Would and used to: Past habits and repeated actions
Would vs. Used to – Past Habits and Repeated Actions
🟦Used to + Infinitive → Past Habits & States
We use used to + base verb to talk about:
• Repeated actions in the past that no longer happen.
• States or situations (with stative verbs) that were true in the past but are not true now.
✅ When I was a child, I used to go skiing every winter.
✅ From age 12 to 16, I used to dance at weekends.
✅ As a child, I used to be blond.
✅ I used to live with my mum.
🔁 Negative: didn’t use to
❓ Question: Did you use to...?
⚠️ No present form! For present habits, use usually, often, normally + present simple.
🟩Would + Infinitive → Repeated Actions Only
We use would + base verb to describe repeated actions in the past — but NOT states or situations.
It often implies a sense of routine, nostalgia, or characteristic behavior.
✅ When I was a child, we would go to the shopping centre every Saturday.
✅ My 5th-grade teacher would tell me to shut up at the beginning of every class.
✅ On Sundays, my grandma would bake apple pie.
⚠️ Never use "would" with stative verbs like be, have, know, like, love, hate, seem, belong, understand, etc.
❌ I would be blond. → ✅ I used to be blond.
❌ We would live in London. → ✅ We used to live in London.
🟨🔑 Critical Difference: Actions vs. States
• Used to works for both actions and states.
• Would works only for repeated actions (never for states).
✅ I used to play football. (action – both OK)
✅ I would play football every weekend. (action – OK)
✅ I used to be shy. (state – only "used to" works)
❌ I would be shy. → Incorrect!
🟥❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using "would" for states:
❌ I would have long hair. → ✅ I used to have long hair. - Using "would" in questions/negatives about past habits:
❌ Would you play outside? → ✅ Did you use to play outside?
❌ I wouldn’t like coffee. → ✅ I didn’t use to like coffee. - Using "would" without a clear past time reference:
Always establish the past context first: When I was young..., In those days...
📌 Key Rules:
🔸 Used to + base verb → past habits and past states
🔸 Would + base verb → only repeated past actions
🔸 Never use "would" with stative verbs (be, have, know, like, etc.)
🔸 For questions/negatives about past habits: use Did you use to...? / didn’t use to
🔸 Always set the past time context when using "would"