Used to and would both describe things that happened in the past and don't happen any more, but would only works for repeated actions, while used to also works for states. Where you lived, what you liked, what you looked like: that's used to. What you did again and again: either one works.
used to or would — can you pick the right one?
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used to + verb: past actions and states (used to live, used to be, used to like); would + action verb: repeated past actions (would walk, would call); didn't use to + verb; Did you use to…?
- I used to live in a small flat near the university.
- Every summer my grandfather would take us fishing at dawn.
- She didn't use to like coffee, but now she drinks three cups a day.
What changed
First versionWhen I was a child, I would live near the sea.
RevisionWhen I was a child, I used to live near the sea.
Living by the sea is a state, not an action repeated again and again. With verbs like this (live, be, have, like, know), would sounds conditional: I would live near the sea, as if you'd live there if things were different. Used to removes the ambiguity. The mistake happens when would is learnt as a full synonym of used to.
Don't confuse used to with be used to: I'm used to early mornings means early mornings are normal for me now. The first is about something that's no longer true, the second about something you're accustomed to now. Be used to is followed by a noun or an -ing form: I'm used to working late.
Your turn
When I was at school, I ___ have very long hair.
Show the answer
used to — Long hair is about how the person looked, a state rather than a repeated action. Would isn't used with states, so the answer is used to.
Describe your childhood summers. Say where you lived in summer and what you did every day.
We used to stay at my grandmother's house in the village every summer, and every morning we would run down to the river to swim.
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