Learning English

Past habits without 'used to'

Is there another way of talking about past habits without using 'used to'? This is the question that Tim tackles in this video. In it he has to reveal some of the dark secrets of his past as well as some of his present habits, which can't all be recommended.

Watch the video and complete the activity

Summary

Use 'would + infinitive without to' to talk about repeated past actions or habits:

• When I was at school I would play tennis every weekend.
• I would often go to the cinema by myself when I first moved to London.
• My dad would always bring us back a present when he went on business trips.

You can also use the simple past to describe these actions:

• When I was at school I played tennis every weekend.
• I often went to the cinema by myself when I first moved to London.
• My dad always brought us back a present when he went on business trips.

Very important:

You can't use would to talk about past states. For this, used to or the simple past are the best options:

• I would be fit when I was a teenager. WRONG
  I used to be fit when I was a teenager. CORRECT
  I was fit when I was a teenager. CORRECT
  
  
• She would be in the football team at university. WRONG
  She used to be in the football team at university. CORRECT
  She was in the football team at university. CORRECT
  

To do

Now, why not try a quiz on this topic? Can you choose the best answer in each situation?

End of session

That's the end of this unit, well done!

Many thanks to the staff and students of the Central School of English for their help with this video.

Next

Mmm, what's cooking at the White Elephant?