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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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