Talking about Past Habits in English

Talking about Past Habits in English

Hello, English learners. Welcome to a new lesson. Today, we will learn about different ways of talking about past habits in English.

There are three ways to talk about past habits:

• Used to
• Would
• Past Simple Tense

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Used to

To talk about past habits and states, we can use the structure used to + infinitive. It is about past states and habits we no longer practice.

• We used to go to Spain every summer when we were kids. 
• Sandra used to take her dog for a walk at seven every morning. Now she has a cat.
• People used to think that the Earth was flat.

Talking about Past Habits in English

The negative form is didn’t use to + infinitive

• We didn’t use to go out much on workdays.
• Helen didn’t use to be so patient when she was younger.

To make questions, we use the structure did you use to + infinitive

• Did Paul use to learn French?
• Did your mother use to work in the garden before she retired?

Find out more about how to use used to here 

Would

We can use ‘would’ to express past habits in the same way as ‘used to’, but remember to use ‘would’ with action verbs only. The structure is would + infinitive.

• When I was little I would play football every day.
• Mark would always cycle to work while he was living in Spain.
• We would have endless arguments about politics during the war.
• Our grandma would read a s a bedtime story every night when we were children.
• They would produce flour in the windmills in the past.

Talking about Past Habits in English

But remember not to use would for state verbs. Use used to instead.

• Michael used to be the best student in class. (not Michael would be the best student in class)
• Their family used to have a cottage in the country. (not their family would have a cottage in the country)
• I used to love going to the city museum when I was a student. (not (I would love going to the city museum when I was a student)

Learn about stative and action verbs here

Read about ways of using would here

Read about the difference between used to and would here

Talking about Past Habits in English

Past Simple Tense

We can use the past simple to talk about past habits in a similar way as used to, especially with the adverbs of frequency: always, never, usually, when I was little/young, etc.

• We always went to the same place on holiday in the 90s.
• We usually had breakfast in the kitchen and dinner in the dining room.
• Simon never had a steady job so he decided to set up his own business.
• Fiona didn’t like vegetables when she was a child.
• She didn’t intend to marry before she met Paul.

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