Used To, Would & Be/Get Used To

You're writing about when you were little, and you hit this sentence:

When I was little, I would have a red bike and I used to going to the park every day.

You stare at it. Something's off — you can feel it — but you can't quite point at the broken bit. Is it would? Is it used to going? Is it both, quietly ganging up on you?

Here's the thing. English hands you three phrases that huddle together and look almost identical — used to, would, and be/get used to — and then, unhelpfully, expects you to just know which is which. But they're not three versions of the same idea. One's about past habits and states. One's only about past habits, and only the doing kind. And one isn't even about the past at all — it's about what feels normal now.

Nobody's born knowing this. Teachers more or less expect you to muddle them at first — and once you can spot what each phrase is actually for, the panic goes and the rest falls into place.

Before you read on, here's where we're heading. By the end of this article, you'll be able to: - Use used to for past habits and past states — things that were true then and aren't now. - Use would for past repeated actions only — and know when it can't stand in for used to. - Tell used to do apart from be/get used to doing — same-looking words, totally different jobs. - Dodge the classic mix-ups that turn up in homework, stories, and exams.

Beginner (Foundation)

Let's start with the simplest question of the lot: how do you say "this was true regularly in the past, but not now"?

For that, you want used to + the base form of the verb.

• I used to live in Bristol. — I don't live there now.
• We used to go to Spain every summer. — we don't do that any more.
• She used to hate maths, but now she quite likes it.

Two things are working here at once. There's the meaning — a past habit or state that has changed — and there's the form, which is used to + base verb (live, go, hate). Notice that little word changed: used to always carries a quiet "…but not now" tucked inside it.

And here's the lovely part — used to is an all-rounder. It handles habits (things you did again and again) and states (how things simply were — living somewhere, having something, being a certain way). It's the past version of you, whichever flavour you need.

Now for a completely different animal. Put used to after the verb be, and something new appears:

• I am used to getting up early now. — getting up early feels normal for me.
• He got used to wearing a uniform. — at first it was strange, then it became normal.

That isn't about the past at all. Be used to means "this is familiar; I'm comfortable with it." Get used to is its cousin — it's the becoming familiar, the process rather than the finished feeling. And after either one you need a noun or an -ing verb, never a bare base form:

• She's used to the cold. — noun.
• She's used to getting up early. — -ing.
• You'll get used to the homework. — noun.
• You'll get used to walking home. — -ing.

So hold these two side by side:

• used to go = a past habit — you did it regularly before.
• be used to going = comfortable with it — it feels normal to you now.

Common Mistake: I used to getting up early. ✘ You need one or the other — used to get up (past habit) or am used to getting up (comfortable with it now). You can't glue the past-habit used to onto an -ing verb.

Let's fix that red-bike sentence from the top of the page:

When I was little, I used to have a red bike and I used to go to the park every day.

There we are — both halves are past habits or states that aren't true any more, so both take plain used to.

Quick recap: - used to + base verb = past habit or state that has changed. - be used to = something feels normal to you now. - get used to = something is becoming normal over time. - After be/get used to, use a noun or -ing verb — never the bare base form.

Intermediate (Development)

Once used to feels solid, in walks would, looking like a free substitute. Sometimes it is. Often it isn't — and that's exactly where people get snagged.

We use would for past repeated actions, especially when we're telling a story and painting a picture of how things were:

• When I was ten, we would visit my grandparents every Sunday.
• Every morning before school, I would watch cartoons.
• At break, my friends and I would sit on the wall and invent daft games.

That looks a lot like used to, doesn't it? And yes — there's real overlap. In sentences like those, you can genuinely use either:

• We used to visit my grandparents every Sunday.
• We would visit my grandparents every Sunday.

Both are fine. But there are two big differences to keep straight, and the first one is the important one.

1. Would is only for actions, never states

You can say:

• When I was little, I used to have a hamster. ✔
• When I was little, I used to be shy. ✔

But you can't hand those to would:

• When I was little, I would have a hamster. ✘ — for a past state.
• When I was little, I would be shy. ✘ — for a past state.

Why not? Because having a hamster and being shy aren't things you did again and again — they're ways of being and having. State verbs — be, have, live, know, like, love, hate — stay with used to. If the verb is about doing something on repeat, would is fair game; if it's about how you were, only used to will do.

2. Would usually needs the scene set first

We nearly always bring would in after we've said when or where we're talking about — it leans on a time frame the way a story leans on "Once upon a time":

• When I stayed at my grandparents' house, we would play cards every night.
• On summer evenings, my dad would take us to the park.

Say it cold, with no lead-in — We would play cards every night — and it can sound like half a thought that's wandered in without its coat. Used to is far happier standing on its own: We used to play cards every night is complete and clear all by itself.

There's a lovely storyteller's trick hiding in all this, by the way. Writers often open with used to to sketch the habit, then switch to would to replay it:

We used to spend whole Saturdays at the park. We would take a ball, would claim the same patch of grass, and would stay until it got dark.

Used to draws the outline; would colours it in. You'll notice it in books — and, handily, it's the kind of thing that earns a tick in creative writing.

And don't forget our other pair, quietly waiting:

• I am used to living here now. — it feels normal.
• I got used to living here after a few months. — it became normal.

Those -ing forms — living, walking, sharing — are gerunds, verbs dressed up as nouns. If that word is new or a bit rusty, F2 on gerunds gives you the full tour.

Common Mistake: Writing I would be shy as a child or I would have a scooter to mean a past state. Both need used to. Save would for actions that happened again and again.

Pro-Tip: When you're not sure, ask one question: "Is this about doing something repeatedly, or about how someone was?" Doing → would or used to. Being or having → used to only.

Quick recap: - would = past repeated actions, especially in stories, usually after you've set the time. - would does not do past states (be, have, live, know, like…) — that's used to's job. - For many past habits, used to and would are both fine. - be/get used to is a different pattern — it takes a noun or -ing, and it's about now.

Advanced (Mastery)

Still with me? Good — because now we hit the fiddly edges: negatives, questions, and the places where a near-miss costs marks or sounds faintly off.

Negatives and questions with used to

This is the bit even grown-ups argue about. In modern English, the safe, clear forms are:

• didn't use to — I didn't use to like broccoli.
• never used to — I never used to like broccoli. (very natural in speech)
• Did … use to? — Did you use to live near here?

Look closely at the negatives and questions and you'll see we write use, not used — didn't use to, did you use to. The little word did is already carrying the past on its shoulders, so use stays in its plain form. Writing didn't used to doubles up the past, and that double marking is the classic slip.

You'll also meet used not to — He used not to care about his homework. It's not wrong, exactly, but it's stiff — leave it for old novels and very formal writing. And Used you to go there? is properly archaic; that one belongs in a history book.

Pro-Tip: In essays and exams, stick with didn't use to and Did you use to…? They're modern, clear, and no examiner will blink.

One occasion, or a habit?

Would for habits needs a repeated, scene-setting time — every morning, on wet days, when we visited. Hand it a single moment and it breaks:

• On wet days we would shelter under the bus stop. ✔
• Last Tuesday we would shelter under the bus stop. ✘ — one occasion, so it's simple past: we sheltered.

Used to works the same way — it's about then versus now, not a single date you could stick a pin in.

Mixing them on purpose

Here's where advanced writing shows off — combining the two deliberately, matching each verb to its right tool:

Before secondary school I used to be terribly shy. I would sit at the back and hope nobody asked me a question.

Shy is a state → used to. Sit and hope are actions → would. That's not a contradiction; that's a writer who knows exactly what each word is for.

The look-alike that isn't be used to

Watch out for one genuine trap — a sentence that looks like be used to but isn't:

• The hall is used to hold assemblies. — this is the plain verb use in the passive: the hall is used for holding assemblies.
• I am used to holding assemblies. — this is our familiarity pattern: holding them feels normal to me.

Same three words, two completely different meanings. The giveaway is what follows: a base verb (hold) points to the passive of use; a noun or -ing (holding) points to be used to = accustomed to. Here's a quick test you can run in your head — try swapping in accustomed to. If I'm accustomed to holding assemblies still makes sense, you're safely in be used to territory.

Common Mistake: Mixing the two families in one verb — I am used to play football every day. ✘ You want either I used to play football every day (past habit) or I am used to playing football every day (it feels normal now).

Quick recap: - Negatives/questions: didn't use to / never used to / Did you use to…? — always use, not used. - would needs a repeated time frame; a single occasion takes the simple past. - Mixing used to (states) and would (actions) on purpose is good, grown-up writing. - Be used to = accustomed to; if "accustomed to" fits, you're in that pattern.

UK vs US Note

Good news here — used to, would, and be/get used to work in exactly the same way in UK and US English. There's no hidden grammatical difference to catch you out; didn't use to, be used to walking, and when I was little, we would… are all standard on both sides of the Atlantic. You'll only meet the usual spelling swaps in the words around them — favourite [US: favorite], practise [US: practice] — never in the verb patterns themselves.

Key Takeaways

• used to + base verb = past habits or past states that are different now.
• would + base verb = past repeated actions only, usually after you've set the scene.
• Never use would for past states (be, have, live, know) — reach for used to.
• be/get used to + noun / -ing = being or becoming familiar with something, now.
• Negatives and questions take use, not used: didn't use to, Did you use to…?

Check Your Understanding

1. Choose the correct option: When I was younger, I ___ play video games every weekend. (i) used to (ii) would (iii) both i and ii
2. Correct this sentence: I am used to eat dinner very late.
3. Fill the gap with used to, would, be used to, or get used to (change the verb form if you need to): At first I hated my new school, but I soon ____ the long day.
4. Is would or used to better here, or are both fine? Explain in one sentence: When I was a child, my dad ___ read me a story every night before bed.
5. Choose the correct sentence: (a) Did you used to live near the sea? (b) Did you use to live near the sea?

Related Articles to Explore

When you're ready to go further, these pieces in the library sit right next to this one:

• A5 — Simple Past vs Past Continuous — for the basic past-tense forms underneath all this.
• B8 — Used To vs Past Simple — a closer look at I used to live there vs I lived there.
• Cluster D — Would in Conditionals — for would in I would go if… sentences, which is a different job entirely.
• F2 — Gerunds — for the -ing forms after be/get used to (used to walking, and friends).

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