In this lesson, we will take a look at how to talk about habits and routines in the past. This is a follow-up lesson from past simple and past continuous.
There are three ways we can talk about habits and routines in the past:
past simple
used to + infinitive
would + base verb
1. Past Simple
We looked at past simple in the past simple and past continuous lesson. By definition, past simple refers to a completed action in the past, and it has no relevance to the present.
I played tennis every Friday when I was young.
The past habit here is playing tennis every Friday. This sentence does not relate to the present, and we cannot know whether we play tennis today or not, or whether we play on a different day. If we want to make a connection from a past habit to the present, we need to use used to or would.
2. used to + infinitive
FORM:
FUNCTION:
I used to play tennis every Friday when I was young.
Sally always used to hang out with her friends at the mall after school.
Sentences that express habits and routines are usually used with an adverb of frequency (e.g. every Friday, once a week, during the summer etc.).
'Used to' can be used with both action and state verbs, making this structure very useful when you're not sure if the verb you want to use is a state or not.
I used to believe in Santa Claus until I was seven.
In this example, 'believe' is a state verb and is used correctly here.
For tips on pronouncing 'used to' correctly, watch the video above.
3. would + base verb
FORM:
FUNCTION:
I would play tennis every Friday when I was young.
David would visit his grandparents during the summer each year.
This structure has exactly the same meaning as the previous example with 'used to'. Again, we use an adverb of frequency to specify how often.
The main difference here is that you must use an action verb with would. Using the previous example:
I would believe in Santa Claus until I was seven. (incorrect)
I used to believe in Santa Claus until I was seven. (correct)
This sentence is incorrect as 'believe' is a state verb. You must use 'used to' (as in the example above) when using a state verb.
To conclude, I'd like to say that the distinction between 'past simple' vs 'would and used to' is very minimal in reality. That is to say that past simple is only used in the past, and used to and would has a tie to the present, does not really matter in reality. Often the context of the conversation makes it clear.
Lastly, 'used to' is much more common than 'would' because it can be used with both action and state verbs. This takes a lot of thinking away when deciding to use one or the other. I would almost say that 'would' for past habits and routines is a little old-fashioned.