Home Vegetable garden on the windowsill Translated used to. The constructions “I used to” and “I’m used to.” What you should pay attention to

Vegetable garden on the windowsill

Translated used to. The constructions “I used to” and “I’m used to.” What you should pay attention to

In English it can be used to express repeated actions in the past. "used to" construction.

Method of education Used To

used to + I form of verb

For example:
I used to go to the beach every day.
Earlier Every day I walked to the beach.

The construction "used to" is not advisable to use in interrogative and negative sentences, but sometimes in spoken English such use occurs. However, in interrogative and negative sentences it is better to use the Simple Past.

Used To

An action that often happened in the past

"Used to" is used to describe actions that used to happen quite often, but now don't happen at all. When translating into Russian, the words “before”, “before”, etc. are often added.

For example:
Jerry used to study English.
Jerry studied before English.

Sam and Mary used to go to Mexico in the summer.
Sam and Mary we used to go often to Mexico in the summer.

I used to start work at 9 o"clock.
Earlier I started work at 9 o'clock.

Christine used to eat meat, but now she is a vegetarian.
Earlier Christina ate meat, and now she is a vegetarian.

Individual facts or general statements in the past

"Used to" can be used to describe specific facts or general statements that were once true but are no longer true. When translating into Russian, the words “before”, “before”, etc. are also often added.

For example:
I used to live in Paris.
Earlier I lived in Paris.

Sarah used to be fat, but now she is thin.
Earlier Sarah was fat, but now she's thin.

George used to be the best student in class, but now Lena is the best.
Earlier George was the best student in the class, but now Lena is the best.

Oranges used to cost very little in Florida, but now they are quite expensive.
Earlier oranges in Florida cost very cheap, but now they are very expensive.

Used To or Simple Past

Both "used to" and the Simple Past can be used to describe repeated events in the past, individual facts that are no longer true. However, "used to" is preferred when affirmative sentences emphasize the repetition of past actions. However, in interrogative and negative sentences the Simple Past is preferred.

For example:
You used to play the piano.
Earlier You played on the piano.

Did you play the piano when you were young?
You as a child played on the piano?

You did not play the piano when you were young.
As a child you didn't play on the piano.

Interrogative and negative sentences using Used To

As mentioned above, the use of “used to” in interrogative and negative sentences is undesirable. However, sometimes such usage still occurs.

Verb in questions used acts as an ordinary verb, and the question is constructed as an ordinary general question.

For example:
Did you use to watch Mickey Mouse?
Have you watched before? Mickey Mouse?

Did you use to like school?
Did you like to study At school?

Likewise, a negative sentence with a verb used is built in the usual way.

For example:
I didn't use to watch Mickey Mouse.
I I haven't watched it before Mickey Mouse.

The following form is also possible:

I used not to watch Mickey Mouse.

Verb would

Like the construction "used to", verb would can be used to express repeated actions in the past.

In some cases would completely similar to "used to".

For example:
I used to go swimming twice a week. – I would go swimming twice a week.
I I used to go swimming two times a week.

However, in most cases, would, in contrast to “used to,” denotes actions that occurred from time to time, without contrasting it with the present moment. With this use would used with indicators of the time when an action took place. To Russian would translated with the words “happened”, “before”.

For example:
When I was young, I would visit my grandmother every summer.
As a child I happened to visit grandma every summer.

Would cannot be used to describe states, individual facts or general provisions in the past, but can only be used for repeated actions in the past.

For example:
I would play the piano. ( Wrong)
I used to play the piano. ( Right)
I used to play the piano.

For those learning English, it can be difficult to master the “used to, be/get used to” rule. Many people simply confuse similar-sounding designs. To use these phrases correctly, you need to understand what they mean.

Past habits

Expression usedto denotes actions that often happened in the past, but are no longer happening. Usually the construction is translated as “before”, “once upon a time”.

I used to go for a walk every morning. Unfortunately,Ihavenotimenow. - I used to go for a walk every morning. Unfortunately, I don't have time for this now.

He used to be a shop-assistant. Nowisamillionaire. - He was once a salesman, but now he is a millionaire.

In this case we are only talking about past habits, so the verb cannot be used in the present tense. In other words, you cannot say “use to”. The rules of use require the verb to be placed in the Past Simple. If you need to talk about habits that exist at the moment, use the Present Simple.

I used to eat bananas for breakfast. - EarlierIateonbreakfastbananas.

Iusuallyeatbananasforbreakfast. - I usually eat bananas for breakfast.

Please note: after the particle to is always used as an infinitive. Other forms of the verb are not allowed here.

My sister used to be a naughty child. - Mysisterwasnaughtychild.

Let's continue to look at the rule. Usedto used not only in affirmative sentences. We can safely construct a negative or interrogative sentence.

In the question, the first place is given did, followed by subject and use to. The past tense is taken over by the auxiliary verb, so the initial form should be used useto.

Didsheusetowakeupearlywhenshewenttoschool? - Did she have a habit of getting up early when she went to school?

Did they use to spend vacation together? - EarlierTheycarried outtogethervacation?

In negative sentences, a particle is added to the auxiliary verb not, A useto also placed in the initial form.

I didn’t use to smoke when I was a schoolboy. - INotsmoked, WhenwalkedVschool.

Shedidn'ttusetoplaygolf. - She hasn't played golf before.

Used to or would?

When it comes to old habits, Sometimes they use another expression - would.

Kate would go to a swimming pool once a week. - EarlierKatewentVpoolonceVa week.

Remember an important rule: usedto can indicate both an action and a state.

Action: Myparentsdidn'ttusetogotoagym. - My parents never went to the gym before.

State: John didn'tusetoloveRockmusic. - John once didn’t like rock music.

Would only indicates a repeated action in the past. It is not used to describe a condition.

My friend used to go shopping every weekend. Myfriendwouldgoshoppingeveryweekend. - My friend used to go shopping every weekend.

But you can't say: John would love Rock music. In this sentence you should use usedto.

Would can also describe actions that occurred from time to time (often with an element of nostalgia). A good translation in this case is the word “happened.”

InmychildhoodIwouldgoforapicnicalmosteveryweekend. - As a child, I used to go on a picnic almost every weekend.

If you do not specify the frequency of the action, use usedto, not would.

Whenhewasachildheusedtowakeuplate. - He woke up late when he was a child (general situation, regularity not specified).

Whenhewasachildhewouldwakeuplateatweekends. - When he was a child, he woke up late on the weekends (how often the action was performed is indicated).

Have a habit of doing something

Let's look at one more rule. Used to often confused with to be used to. However, they have completely different meanings. Expression tobeusedto means “to have the habit of doing something”, and it can be replaced by a synonymous construction tobeaccustomedto. Previously, a person did not do this, but now his lifestyle has changed.

Heisusedtogettingupat 9am. - He is used to getting up at 9 am (he didn’t do that before).

Since we are talking about a habit that a person has at the moment, the verb tobe It’s logical to put it in the present tense. For past habits, use an expression we already know usedto/didn"t use to. Compare:

My brother didn't use to eat healthy food. - MyBrotherearlierNotateusefulfood.

Now he is used to eating healthy food. - NowHeused to itThere isusefulfood.

Don't forget to put the particle to- there is no expression useddoing. The rule also requires the use of a gerund rather than an infinitive.

Jesse is used to making his bed in the morning. - Jesseused to itcoverbedByin the morning.

I am used to go to school on my foot. - II'm used to itwalkVschoolon foot.

Get used to something

Phrase togetusedto very close in value to the previous design. But there is a certain connotation of meaning - “get used to”, “get used to”, “adapt”. In this case, the synonymous construction will be tobecomeaccustomedto.

It is difficult to get used to a new climate. - TOnewclimatedifficultadapt.

Here we are talking about a habit that is just beginning to form.

He is getting used to doing the laundry twice a week. - Heaccustomsmyselfwashclothestwicebehinda week.

After the particle to a gerund should also be included.

TheyaregettingusedtospeakingChinese - They get used to speaking Chinese.

In what grammatical tense should I put getusedto? The rule allows you to use any tense that makes sense.

Ittookhersometimetogetusedtonewtraditions. - It took some time before she got used to the new traditions.

In a few weeks you will get used to the local cuisine. - Througha coupleweeksYouyou'll get used to itTolocalkitchen.

Exercises

We have analyzed the use in detail usedto/beusedto/getusedto. The rule separates these constructions in meaning and grammatically. Practice using them in practice. Insert suitable words into the text. Remember to choose the right time.

Jane -_ smoke a lot. Then she quit it. - Jen used to smoke a lot. But then she quit smoking.
I see you -_ new rules. Keep it up! - I see you are getting used to the new rules. Keep it up!
How long did it take him to _ living in the suburbs? How long did it take him to get used to life in the suburbs?
You_be very hardworking. You have become a lazybones! -You were such a hard worker. You have turned into a lazy person!
We _ speaking two languages. - We are used to speaking two languages.
He_coming in time. - He taught himself to be on time.
I_drinking tea. Coffee is bad for my health. - I have become a habit of drinking tea. Coffee is bad for me.
Why don’t you _ putting fewer spices in your food. I can't eat it! - Why don’t you train yourself to put less spices in your food! I can't eat this!
I _ sweeping the floor every day. - I'm used to sweeping the floor every day.
I_his pronunciation. Does anyone understand what he says? - I can’t get used to his pronunciation. Does anyone even understand what he's saying?
Monika _ be a doctor, but she has already retired. - Monica once worked as a doctor. But she is already a pensioner.
We _ be friends. Then something went wrong. - We were friends. But then something went wrong.

How often do you reminisce? Do you remember your childhood, pleasant moments, your lifestyle, old habits? Of course yes.

But if you talk about the past in English, what grammatical devices do you use? You don’t have to answer, this is probably it.

There are other ways, it's time to diversify your grammatical arsenal. In this article, we will talk about the used to construction and the verb would so that you can use them successfully in your speech.

Let's look at the reverse first. used to. The peculiarity of this construction is that its form is often associated with the verb use. Many people, encountering the construction for the first time, do not pay attention to it, and some try to translate it using the meaning of the verb use. Such translations, of course, are incorrect, since the turnover used to has nothing to do with the verb use.

How to distinguish the form past tense of the verb use from the turn used to? Let's look at examples:

When I was writing my essay, I used information from the Internet. - When I wrote the essay, I used materials from the Internet.

I used to go to the library when I did not have Internet at home. - I used to go to the library when I didn’t have Internet at home.

Somebody used my toothbrush, it was wet. - Someone used my toothbrush, it was wet.

He used to brush his teeth three times a day. - He used to brush his teeth three times a day.

In sentences with the verb use, the verb requires the object expressed by the noun:

used information
used my toothbrush

The phrase used to agrees not with the noun, but with the verb:

used to go
used to brush

Particular attention should be paid to pronunciation. The verb use is pronounced like , if it is a past tense form (and use is a regular verb), then . Used to is pronounced like . As you can see, the sound [z] not here.

Let's consider in what cases we need a design used to and what is its difference from .

Used to is used to denote habitual actions and states in the past (including the distant past), as well as actions that were regular in the past, but at the moment are no longer repeated:

I used to live with my parents. Now I live alone. - I used to live with my parents. Now I live alone.

I used to watch cartoons. At present I don’t. - I used to watch cartoons. I'm not watching now.

I used to have a dog. Now I have a cat. - I used to have a dog. Now I have a cat.

The phrase used to can be translated: "I used to...", "I had a habit...", "I used to".

Used to can be replaced with without changing the meaning when talking about habitual actions in the past or states:

I used to live with my parents. - I lived with my parents.
I used to watch cartoons. - I watched cartoons.
I used to have a dog. - I had a dog.

Main difference used to from Past Simple is that used to always indicates that the action has been terminated. Compare two examples:

PAST SIMPE	USED TO
My grandmother worked as a teacher. (She may either continue working or not)	My grandmother used to work as a teacher. (At the moment she is retired)
My grandmother worked as a teacher in the past. It can either continue to work or stop working. Without context we don't know this. If used Past Simple, then we only know that the action took place in the past and cannot draw any conclusions about the present.	My grandmother used to work as a teacher. From this sentence we understand that she is no longer doing this now: she has moved to another position, retired, or your own version. Used to shows that the action is no longer happening in the present, it has stopped.

Although most often there is no difference between these two ways of expressing the past, there are a number of situations when we can use Past Simple only, but not used to:

1. If you indicate the time when the action occurred (yesterday, last month, a week ago).
2. If you say how many times an action happened at a certain point in the past:

I called her three times yesterday. - I called her three times yesterday.

With used to it is acceptable to use time specifiers because they describe only a period, not a specific time:

In my childhood
When I was young
When I was a student
In 1950s etc.

We have decided on the use of used to, now let's look at the different types of statements. The construction used to does not change depending on the person and number and has no abbreviations.

In the statement, after used to there is a verb:

I used to go to the theatre. - I used to go to the theater.
He used to live in a country house. - He used to live in a country house.

The used to construction has three negation options:

didn't use to(in form as negation in Past Simple)	I didn't use to go to the theatre. He didn't use to live in a country house. Notice that in this type of negation we are saying use to, but not used to .
never used to	We never used to have lunch in this restaurant. They never used to play chess
used not to	You used not to go on holiday in spring. She used not to eat fish.

An interrogative sentence with the used to construction is constructed in the same way as in Past Simple. In interrogative sentences we use the auxiliary verb did:

Did you use to read adventure books? -Have you read books about adventures before?

What kind of books did you use to read? - What books have you read before?

Did they use to have pets? - Did they have pets before?

What pets did you use to have? - What pets did you have before?

Verb would: use and difference from used to.

Another way of referring to habitual actions in the past is as a verb would. The difficulty is that sometimes it is difficult to understand what time a sentence refers to would, and therefore it is mistakenly translated into the future tense. In fact, these sentences are translated in the same way as sentences with used to: “I used to...”, “I used to...”, “I had a habit...”, etc.

In the evening my mother would cook dinner for all the family. - In the evenings, my mother cooked dinner for the whole family.

I would spend a lot of time in the library. - I spent a lot of time in the library.

However would And used to have one big difference.

At the beginning of the article it was mentioned that USED TO is used for state designations, that is, used with verbs of state: think, have, see, feel, smell, taste, know, understand, imagine, doubt, remember, want, forget, need, love, like, be and others.

We used to think that whale is a kind of fish. (NOT I would think)

My brother used to have a motorbike. (NOT My brother would have)

Did you use to believe in Santa Claus? (NOT Would you believe)

I used to know all the irregular verbs when I was a schoolgirl. (NOT I would know)

So let's summarize:

To express a habitual action in the past we can use:

1. Past Simple- if we name a specific time or number of repetitions. The action can be repeated in the present time.
2. Used to- if an action that was familiar in the past does not continue in the present.
3. Would- habit in the past, only with action verbs.

Don’t forget to put your knowledge into practice and good luck in learning English! If you liked this material, join us on

What if you want to talk about past habits or daily routine (something that you constantly did in the past, but for some reason abandoned), then you can use the used to phrase. I will reveal the rules for its use and meaning in this article.

This comes from my graduate school adviser. Whenever I would take a paper to him, he would find out something I had repeated, or something I had missed out. He used to tell me “Say everything, but say it only once.”

Used to. Routine and habits

A very common phrase in English. The sentence describes events that:

happened regularly, constantly in the past: habits, daily routine, condition characteristic of that time;
are NOT happening now(in no way).

In this way, the contrast between the past and the present is emphasized: life changes. Therefore, the phrase used to is often translated as - before.

The construction occurs only in the past tense (Past Simple). Not used:

in the present (Present Simple), future (Future Simple) or continuous (Continuous);
when talking about the recent past (for example, yesterday): Yesterday I used to play basketball

Scheme: Subject (I, You, He, She, It ...) + used to + verb + object.

They used to cook cakes every weekend. “They used to bake pies every weekend.”

I used to play football when I was young. – When I was young, I played football.

He used to dance a lot but now he is too busy at work. – He used to dance a lot, but now he is too busy at work.

It can express not only an action, but also a state:

She used to be very shy. – She used to be very shy.

Used to. Denial and question

Formed according to simple past tense schemes (Past Simple):

the auxiliary verb did and the negative particle not are added;
the ending -ed is removed.

Let's take a sentence and form negative and interrogative options based on it.

He used to read every day. – He used to read every day.

Negation

Scheme: Subject (I, You, He, She, It ...) + did not use / never used to + verb (dictionary form) + object.

He did not use to read every day. – He didn’t read every day before.

Question

Scheme: Did + subject (I, you, he, she, it ...) + use to + verb (dictionary form) + object?

Did he use to read every day? – Did he read every day before?

English subtitles are available in the video.

The phrase “used to”.

Would – substitute for used to

In English there is a substitute verb for used to – would.

Both verbs describe regular actions in the past, but only used to is suitable for all options: both actions and states. While would is only used with action verbs, not state verbs.

used to play with dolls.

When she was a little girl, she would play with dolls.

In both cases the translation is: When she was a little girl, she played with dolls.

Her suggestions are correct. But in the next example you cannot use would!

When he was a little boy, he used to be very thin. – As a little boy he was very thin.

Do you want stability, simplicity and not having to worry about choosing? Use the standard option, suitable for any occasion – used to.

Variations of the phrase “used to”

Be (am/is/are – was/were) used to

Translation: accustomed, accustomed.

Describes:

fait accompli;
a well-known, regularly repeated situation;
a habit that you can either like or not (bad habit).

Used:

with pronouns, nouns, verbs ending in -ing (gerund): these parts of speech can be placed after be used to.

I am used to eating in the morning. – I’m used to eating in the morning.

They are used to a heat – They are accustomed to the heat.

Be used to. Denial and question

It is formed in the same way as the basic “used to” structure - according to the following schemes:

Negation: by adding the negative particle “not”.

I am not used to reading a lot. – I’m not used to reading a lot.

Question: by moving the verb be forward.

Are you used to breaking the law? – Are you used to breaking the law?

Get used to

Translation: get used to, adapt, get used to; get used to it.

Describes an action (process) that may or may not happen:

adaptation, adaptation to a new situation;
formation of habits.

Used:

with all tenses: Future, Present, Past (Simple);
with pronouns, nouns, verbs ending in -ing (gerund): these parts of speech can be placed after get used to.