Used to vs.

Use to
Common Mistakes in English
A common mistake both for learners of English as well as native speakers is the difference between “Used to” and
“Use to” and when (or if) we put the letter D at the end of the verb.
First let’s look at the meaning of it:
Used to = an action or habit that was common in the PAST but not anymore.
This should not be confused with
To be used to = accustomed to something (normally out of habit or experience)
Notice how Used to ends in –ed which normally means the verb is in the past tense.

 I used to drink coffee every morning but now I drink tea.

 She used to live in London but now she lives in New York.
 He used to play football professionally but he had to quit because of an injury.
These sentences refer to a past habit or a continuous action in the past and they are affirmative.
BUT…

Used to in Negative

If we want to make a negative sentence, the didn’t part shows that we are talking about the past tense.
It is NOT common to use Used to in negative form though we will show you how to do it anyway.
Compare the normal past tense:

 I played rugby on Saturday. (past - affirmative)

 I didn’t play rugby on Saturday. (past – negative – play doesn’t have the –ed at the end because the
auxiliary didn’t tells us that the sentence is in the past tense)
And now let’s see a sentence with Used to:

 I used to like her, but now I hate her.

 I didn’t use to like her but now I think she is great.
Many times we use never instead of didn’t. In this case we use “used” in past tense. Compare:

 I didn’t use to smoke.

 I never used to smoke.

Used to in Questions

As with normal questions in the past tense, we use the base form of the verb (not the verb in past tense), since the
auxiliary DID shows us that the question is in the past tense.

 +  I used to ride a bike to school every day.

 -   I didn’t use to ride a bike to school. I would normally go by bus.
 ?  Did you use to ride a bike to school when you were a child?
Some more examples

 What did you use to do after school when you were a kid?
 Where did you use to go on vacation with your parents?

Why do people sometimes write Use to instead of Used

to in English?
 Well, when we say used to, the final D in the verb used is pronounced like a T and since the next word (TO) also
begins with the T sound, it seems like there is only one T (that belonging to the word TO).
When speaking, we frequently run words together (join words) so it would sound like Use-to.

Used to and Would
Sometimes we can replace Used to with Would.

 My grandfather used to do exercises every day before work.

 My grandfather would do exercises every day before work.
See more about the uses of Would.

So… you used to find this difficult, didn't you? (And now you don't)

‘used to + infinitive’ and ‘be/get used to’

used to + infinitive’ and ‘be/get used to’

People often get confused about the use of used to + infinitive and be/get used to + ‘ing’ form because they
look similar. They are, however, completely different.

‘used to + infinitive’

We use ‘used to’ to talk about things that happened in the past – actions or states – that no longer happen now.

 She used to be a long distance runner when she was younger.

 I used to eat meat but I became a vegetarian 5 years ago.

The negative is ‘didn’t use to’ and questions are formed with ‘Did you use to …?’
There is no present tense equivalent of ‘used to’. To talk about present habits we use the present simple and an
adverb of frequency (usually, always, often, never, etc.)
e.g. I often eat at the Japanese restaurant in the city centre.

‘be/get used to’

If you are used to something, you are accustomed to it – you don’t find it unusual. If you get used to something
or you are getting used to something you are becoming accustomed to it – it was strange, now it’s not so
strange.

 I found Slovak food very strange at first but I’m used to it now.
 I’m getting used to driving on the right.

Both ‘be used to’ and ‘get used to’ are followed by a noun (or pronoun) or the gerund – the ‘ ing’ form of a verb.

 I can’t get used to getting up so early. I’m tired all the time.
 He’s not used to the weather here yet. He’s finding it very cold.

‘Be/get used to’ can be used with past, present and future tenses.

 You might find it strange at first but you’ll soon get used to it.
 He wasn’t used to the heat and he caught sunstroke.

English Grammar: “Used to” Do Something

When you want to talk about your habits or your daily routine right now, use the present
simple verb tense:
I walk to school.
I take the bus to work.
I smoke.
That’s probably the first thing you learned in your English class!
What if you want to talk about habits or your daily routine in the past?
You can use the verb used to.
How to use “used to”
Used to is a modal verb. It is a helping verb. It can’t be used by itself in a sentence. It
must be used before another verb
used to + verb
I used to do something.
 
In the example above do is the main verb. You don’t need to change the main verb. It
stays it its original form.
X: She used to plays piano.
 
Use used to to talk about things you did in the past but you don’t do now. Use this verb
when you want to talk about how the past is different from the present.
IMPORTANT! Used to is ONLY used in the past tense. It used to talk about habits,
routines, or states in the past. You cannot use it to talk about the present.
X: Now  I  use  to play tennis.
 
Listen: How to pronounce “used to” | Episode 28
 
When to use “used to”
The main reason for using used to is to emphasize a contrast between the present and
the past. You want to say that you did something in the past, but you don’t do it know.
Something was true in the past, but it’s not true now. Life is different now.
Used to is not used to talk about the recent past. You can’t say “Yesterday I used to walk
to the store.” Used to is used to talk about things in an earlier part of your life.
a. something you did in the past
Use used to to talk about a repeated action, a habit, or something you did for months or
years, but you do NOT do now.
When I was young, I  used to play  in the park with my friends.
(I don’t play in the park with my friends now.)
I  used to be  a picky eater. I eat everything now!
I  used to play  a lot of sports when I was young. After I broke my leg I stopped playing
sports.
 
b. something that happened regularly in the past
There are things in the past that happened many times. Use used to when you want to
talk about something that happened regularly in the past, but does not happen now.
The clothing store  used to have  a sale every month! It only has a sale once in a while
now.
I miss how you  used to make  me smile with your crazy jokes.
We  used to go  to church every Sunday.
 
c. something that was true in the past
Use used to to emphasize a contrast between the past and present, when something that
was true in the past is not true in the present.
This  used to be  a pet store. Now, it’s a bank!
Life  used to be  so much easier.
People  used to think  the earth was flat and the sun revolved around the earth.
People  used to smoke  on airplanes. In fact, people  used to smoke  everywhere: the
workplace, the grocery store, even the doctor’s office!
 
 
Question Form
Something in interesting happens when you use used to in a question. It changes to use
to, without a D at the end of use.
Did you use to + verb?
Did you use to smoke?
What did we use to do before computers?!
Didn’t Ken use to live here?
 
Negative
There are 3 different ways to use used to in a negative sentence.
1. didn’t use to…
The correct negative form is didn’t use to, without a D at the end of use but it common
to see people write didn’t used to.
I  didn’t use to smoke. I started smoking when I lost my job.
She  didn’t use to be  fat. She put on a lot of weight after she had a baby.
2. never used to…
You can also use never with used to.
I  never used to be  afraid of dogs, but then I was bitten by one and now I’m terrified of
dogs!
3. not like I used to
This phrase can be used when you want to say that you continue to do something now
that you did in the past, but differently, or you don’t do it as much or as often as you
used to.
I don’t drink and party as much as I used to. I still go out and have fun, but not like I
used to.
I love you, but not like I used to.

Learn English Grammar

VERBS
'Used to' or 'use to' vs would
I was asked on Pal Talk recently how to use used to and would.
If we say something used to happen we are talking about repeated events  and actions  in the past, usually things
that happened a long time ago and are now finished.
To express this we can use either used to or would.

 When I was young I  used to play  with my dolls. = When I was young I  would play with my dolls.
Of course I no longer play with dolls!

 We  used to go out a lot in the summer.

Implies that we no longer go out much.
If you want to talk about repeated states or habits  in the past, you must use used to, you cannot use would : :

 My dog  used to bark  at cats.

 I  used to smoke.
 I  used to be  an administrative assistant.
 I  used to live in England.
You should use 'use to' without a d in sentences when it follows 'did' or 'didn't' (don't worry too much about this
because lots of people get it wrong).
The question form is ‘Did you use to…?'. When asking a closed question you put did/didn't in front of the subject
followed by use to, you cannot use would.

 Did you  use to go out with my sister?

 Did they use to  own the company?
 Didn't  we use to  go to the same school?
Also when asking questions about states in the past you cannot use would.

 What sort of things  did you  use to like when you were young?
. In the negative you cannot use would without a change in meaning.

 I  didn't use to  play with my dolls.

If I said I wouldn't play with my dolls. It would mean I refused to play with my dolls.
  We  didn't use to  go out much in the winter months.
If I said we wouldn't go out much. It would mean we refused to go out much.
!Note - The general rule is when there is did or didn't in the sentence, we say use to (without d) when there is
no did or didn't in the sentence, we say used to (with d).
There is also a difference between "used to do something and to be used to something".

I used to vs I am used to
Take a look at the following two sentences. what's the difference in meaning?
"I used to drink green tea."
"I am used to drinking tea."

I used to something
"I used to drink green tea."
"I used to drink green tea", means that, in the past I drank green tea, but now I don't. Used to describes an action that did happen,
but doesn't happen now. Check out these great examples:
"When I was young I used to play with dolls, but I don't anymore."
"Before I passed my driving test, I used to cycle everywhere."

I am used to something
"I am used to drinking green tea."
"I am used to drinking green tea", means that, at first drinking green tea was strange and unusual, but now it has become
familiar. Be used to describes an action that was, perhaps, difficult and is now easy. "I am accustomed to green tea", has the same
meaning. Read on for fantastic examples:
"It took me a while, but I'm finally used to using this new software."
"I'm getting used to the strange smell in the factory."
"I'll never get used to the heat in India."
Link: What are absolute adjectives
Link: Can you name the tenses?
Link: Use the correct word in the sentence
 When I was young, I ___ to play a lot of basketball.

used
am used 

 I ___ waking up early for my new job.

am used to
used to

 I used to ___ my parents on the weekend.

 visiting
visit

 Blackpool in England ___ the most popular tourist destination. These days, English people prefer to go abroad.

used to be
is used to being

 Did you ___ to work for Softec?

use
used

 She still isn't ___ working at night.

used to
am used to

 Don't worry. You will soon ___ used to cooking for yourself.

is
be
am

Used To Do / Would Do / Be Used To Doing

Download this explanation about 'used to' in PDF.

'Used to + infinitive':

We use this expression to talk about habits or repeated actions in the past which we don't do in the
present. We also use it to talk about states in the past which are no longer true. For example:

 I used to have long hair (but now I have short hair).

 He used to smoke (but now he doesn't smoke).
 They used to live in India (but now they live in Germany).
Watch out! With the negative and the question it's 'use' and not 'used':

 Did you use to be a teacher?

 Did he use to study French?
 She didn't use to like chocolate, but she does now.
 I didn't use to want to have a nice house.
Note! With this 'used to' there is no verb 'be'. We CAN'T say 'I am used to have long hair'.
Try an exercise about 'used to + infinitive' here.
'Would + infinitive'
We can also use 'would + infinitive' to talk about a habit or repeated action in the past. We usually
use 'would + infinitive' in this way when we're telling a story about the past. So, we can say:

 When I was a student, we would often have a drink after class on a Friday.
 When I lived in Italy, we would go to a little restaurant near our house.
However, we don't use 'would + infinitive' to talk about states in the past. So, if we're talking about
the past, we CAN'T say:

 I would have long hair.

 I would live in Scotland.
Try an exercise about 'used to' and 'would' here.
'Be used to':

We use 'be used to + verb-ing' to talk about things which feel normal for us or things that we are
accustomed to:

 I'm used to getting up early, so I don't mind doing it (= getting up early is normal for me, it's
what I usually do).
 My little daughter is used to eating lunch at noon. So she was grumpy yesterday when we
didn't eat until one.
Note that we make the negative or the question with the verb 'be' in the normal way. The 'used to'
doesn't change:

 Lucy isn't used to staying up late, so she's very tired today.

 Are your children used to walking a lot?
We can also use 'be used to + noun', which has the same meaning:

 I've lived in the UK almost all my life, so I'm used to rain (= rain is normal for me).
 That football team always lose, so they're used to disappointment!
We can put the verb 'be' into any tense. So we can talk about things in the past or the future as well
as the present using this expression:

 It was difficult when I first started university, because I wasn't used to the amount of work we
had to do.
 Soon I'll be used to driving in London and I won't be so frightened!
We can use 'get used to + verb-ing' to talk about the change of not normal to normal. We can also
use this in any tense:

 Don't worry if your new job is hard at first. You'll get used to it.
 It took me a while, but I got used to speaking another language every day.
 It took me a few months to get used to living in Japan. At first everything seemed very
different, but then gradually it became normal for me.