Do you know when to use used to and didn't use to? Learn or review with this lesson.

 

1) Past habits 

We use “used to” and “didn’t use to” for something that we often repeated, but that we don’t do anymore.

 

Examples:

 

- I used to wake up early every morning. (Now I sleep in.)

 

- My friend and I used to have breakfast together every morning. (Now we don’t.)

 

- They used to play the violin in the street under my house. (Now they don’t.)

 

2) Past “facts” 

We use “used to” and “didn’t use to” for something that was true in the past, but is not true now.

 

Examples:

 

- I used to have three cats. (Now I don’t.)

- Did you use to be friends? (You aren’t friends now.) - Children didn’t use to have cell phones. (Now they do.)

 

FORM

Positive Subject + used to + verb

Negative Subject + didn’t use to + verb

Question Did + subject + use to + verb?

 

NOTES

We only use “used to” and “didn’t use to” to talk about the past. It is possible to replace sentences with “used to” and “didn’t use to” with the past simple, if there is a time indicator. 

 

Examples:

 

- We used to eat bacon every morning. = When we were young, we ate bacon every morning

 

- I used to wear shorts to school. = In the past, I wore shorts to school.

 

- My grandfather used to smoke a lot. = A few years ago, my grandfather smoked a lot.

 

Let's practice!

Write in the comments section sentences with “I used to” and “I didn’t use to”.

 

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