I Used toBe Different
used to / didn't use to / would — past habits
CEFR Pathway · You are here
Get talking · Section 1
5 minWarm up
Name one thing you did every week as a child that you never do now.
What food did you hate as a child and love now — or the opposite?
Describe your life ten years ago in three sentences. Your partner asks two questions.
Grammar focus · Section 2
8–10 minused to — habits and states that are finished
Read the examples. What is the pattern? Say the rule in your own words first.
→ I used to live in a tiny flat above a bakery.
→ He didn't use to enjoy running — now he does marathons.
→ Did you use to have long hair?
→ Every Sunday my grandfather would tell the same story.
→ We used to be neighbours, but they moved last year.
Reveal the rule
'used to + infinitive' describes something that was TRUE OR REPEATED in the past but is NOT true now.
More detail
• Habit: 'I used to walk to school every day.' (I don't now) • State: 'She used to be really shy.' (She isn't now) NEGATIVE and QUESTION drop the -d, because 'did' already carries the past: • 'I didn't use to like coffee.' (NOT didn't used to) • 'Did you use to play an instrument?' 'would' also expresses repeated past ACTIONS in storytelling: 'Every summer we would drive to the coast.' But 'would' can NEVER describe a state: ✗ 'I would be shy.' ✓ 'I used to be shy.' Use the Past Simple instead when the action happened once, or when you give the number of times: 'I went to Paris in 2019' (once, finished, specific).
Subject + used to + infinitive
e.g. I used to play the piano, but I gave it up at sixteen.
When to use
- Comparing past and present: 'I used to… but now I…'
- Describing childhood and old routines.
- Explaining a change in yourself or a place.
| Structure | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| used to | past habit OR state, not true now | I used to smoke. |
| would | repeated past action only (not states) | We'd meet every Friday. |
| Past Simple | single finished event / specific time | I stopped smoking in 2020. |
| be used to | be accustomed to (different meaning!) | I'm used to the noise now. |
Never 'didn't used to'
✗ 'I didn't used to…' ✓ 'I didn't use to…'. Same in questions: 'Did you use to…?'
'used to' ≠ 'be used to'
'I used to drive' = I did, not now. 'I'm used to driving' = it feels normal to me now.
Follow up with 'now'
The structure begs a contrast: 'I used to hate vegetables — now I cook them every day.'
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Question 1.I ____ live in Rome, but I moved in 2018.
Question 2.Which negative is correct?
Question 3.Which sentence is WRONG?
Question 4.Question form:
Question 5.'I'm used to getting up early' means…
Answer from memory first. Type what you think, and only open the choices if you need them.
Quick check 1.Past state, not true now →
Quick check 2.Negative form →
Quick check 3.Repeated past action in a story →
Vocabulary · Section 3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
Don't just read these — say one out loud, then use it about your life.
a routine
the regular way you do things
"My routine used to start at five in the morning."
Describe an old routine of yours.
grow out of
stop liking something as you get older
"I grew out of comic books at fourteen."
Name something you grew out of.
take something up
start a new hobby
"I took up swimming after I gave up football."
What would you like to take up?
back then
at that time in the past
"Back then, nobody had a mobile."
Finish: 'Back then, I…'
a phase
a short period of being interested in something
"It was just a phase — it lasted a year."
Describe a phase you went through.
these days
now, in contrast to before
"These days I hardly watch TV."
Contrast one habit: 'I used to… These days…'
Discuss with a partner
- →How did your free time use to be different?
- →What did people in your country use to do before smartphones?
Finish the sentence about you
- I used to… but these days… …
- I didn't use to…, and now… …
- Back then we would… …
60-second write
60 seconds: write everything you used to do at the age of ten. No stopping.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 min'used to' → /ˈjuːstə/
- • I used to live → /aɪ ˈjuːstə lɪv/
- • Did you use to? → /dɪdʒə ˈjuːstə/
- • I didn't use to like it → /aɪ dɪdnt ˈjuːstə laɪk ɪt/
- • We used to be → /wi ˈjuːstə bi/
How to say it
Native speakers never say 'YOOZED TOO'. The 'd' disappears and 'to' weakens to schwa, producing one connected chunk: /ˈjuːstə/. The same happens in 'use to' in questions and negatives — they sound identical, which is exactly why learners write the spelling wrong.
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minThe street that changed
There used to be four bakeries on this street. My grandmother remembers the smell reaching her window every morning at five, and she would send me down with a coin before school. Nobody locked their doors back then, she says, though I suspect that isn't completely true. These days there is one bakery left, and it opens at eight. Two of the old shops are now cafés with identical furniture, and the third became a phone repair place. People used to know the name of everyone in the building; now most of the flats change tenants every year. My grandmother doesn't complain, though. 'We used to wait three months for a letter from my brother in Canada,' she says. 'Now I see his face every Sunday on this little screen. I wouldn't go back.'
Read once for the overall message. Decide true or false first, then answer from memory — check the text only to find the sentence that proves you right.
Q1.The grandmother says letters used to take a long time.
Q2.All the old shops are still bakeries.
Q3.Tenants stay for many years now.
Answer from memory first. Type what you think, and only open the choices if you need them.
Question 1.How many bakeries were there before?
Question 2.What replaced the third shop?
Question 3.How does the grandmother feel overall?
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minSchool reunion
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Nina:You look completely different. Didn't you use to have really long hair?
Tom:Down to here, yes. And I used to wear that awful denim jacket every single day.
Nina:I remember. You'd sit at the back and never say a word.
Tom:I didn't use to be confident at all. Teaching changed that — you can't be shy in front of thirty teenagers.
Nina:You're a teacher? You used to hate school!
Tom:I did. That's probably why I'm good at it. What about you — do you still paint?
Nina:Not really. It was a phase. These days I run, which I never used to do.
Tom:Everybody swaps one thing for another, I think.
First listening: catch the language, not the details. Tick what you hear, then listen again for the answers.
Question 1.What did Tom use to look like?
Question 2.What is Tom's job now?
Question 3.What does Nina do these days?
Exam skills · Section 7
5 minCambridge PET Speaking Part 1 & 2 — talking about the past
Task
Answer a 'how have you changed?' question for 60 seconds.
Strategy
Examiners reward tense variety. If every sentence about the past uses the Past Simple, your range looks narrow. Mixing 'used to', 'would' and the Past Simple in the same answer is a quick, safe way to show control — and it gives you a natural structure: how it used to be → what changed → how it is now.
Example
'I used to be quite a lazy student, honestly. I'd leave everything until the last night and then panic. Then I failed an important exam in my second year, and that changed things. These days I plan my week on Sunday evening, which I never used to do.'
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Q1.Negative: 'I / not / like / olives' (past habit)
Q2.Question: ask if your partner played a sport as a child.
Q3.Rewrite as a past state: 'She isn't shy now, but before she was.'
Question 1.I ____ hate flying, but now I'm fine.
Question 2.____ you use to live near here?
Question 3.She ____ use to speak any English at all.
Question 4.Every winter we ____ go skiing with my cousins.
Question 5.I'm ____ the early starts now — it's normal.
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Plan first: three bullet points, then study the model and notice how it links ideas. Write only after that.
Your task
Write 80–100 words titled 'How I've changed'. Use 'used to' at least three times, one negative ('didn't use to'), and one 'would' for a repeated past action.
Plan (3 bullets)
- 1. What is the situation?
- 2. What are your two main points?
- 3. How will you finish it?
Study the model
Five years ago I was a completely different person. I used to work nights in a hotel, so I'd sleep until the middle of the afternoon and see almost nobody. I didn't use to cook at all — I lived on sandwiches and coffee. Every Sunday my mother would call and tell me I looked tired, and she was right. These days I get up at seven, I cook badly but happily, and I actually enjoy mornings, which I never used to do.
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
TIME MACHINE INTERVIEW · Pairs. Interview your partner about their life ten years ago: home, school, friends, food, technology, free time. Ask at least six 'Did you use to…?' questions. Then report three surprising things to the class.
Useful phrases
- • Did you use to…?
- • I used to… but not any more.
- • I never used to…
- • Back then we'd always…
- • These days it's completely different.
Decide & report
Work through the situation and agree on one decision together. Then report your decision in 30 seconds, giving two reasons.
- ADid you use to play any instruments?
- B_______________
- ADo you miss your old town?
- B_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Expect the 'didn't used to' spelling error all lesson. Correct it visibly every time. ~26 min total
Homework · Section 11
Take-homeTake it home
Write ten sentences comparing your life now with five years ago, using 'used to' in each.
Interview an older family member about how their town used to be. Note five 'used to' facts.
Correct these: 'I didn't used to smoke', 'I would be tall', 'Did you used to work?'
Recap · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- used to + infinitive = a finished past habit or state.
- Negative/question drop the -d: didn't use to / Did you use to?
- 'would' works for repeated past actions, never for states.
- Past Simple for one specific finished event.
- 'be used to + -ing' is a different structure: accustomed to.
Extra Practice
Grammar · Vocabulary · Speaking · Review
Found this lesson tricky? Practise the language from Lesson 44 again.
Finished this lesson?
Mark it complete to save it to your progress.