Used to

                                                  Used to

"Used to" in English fulfills the function that, in many languages, is covered by a whole tense! We use "used to" to express something which happened regularly in the past but doesn't happen anymore. A past routine, a past habit.

I used to drink three whiskeys a day ten years ago, but then I stopped.
She used to be a teacher, but now works as a lawyer.

Questions

The question form uses "use to":

Did you use to live in this house, Tony?
How many cigarettes did you use to smoke before you gave up?

Negatives

I didn't use to like eating salad, but I love it now.
She didn't use to study hard and so she failed all her exams every year.

Pronunciation

The past of the verb "use" is "used" which is spelt the same as "used to" but the pronunciation is very different. The past of "use" is pronounced with a /z/ sound - while "used to" is pronounced with an /s/ sound.

Phonetically:

He used a computer. /u:zd/
He used to work here. /u:st/

Past Simple or 'Used To'?

We can also use past simple to talk about past habits or routines:

I lived in that house for ten years.
She was a librarian for a year before quitting.

Just as we can use "used to":

I used to live in that house for ten years.
She used to be a librarian.

The difference is that we can't use "used to" for something that happened once.

I went to Lithuania in 1999.
NOT I used to go to Lithuania in 1999.

Would or 'Used To'?

We can also use "would" in a similar way to "used to".

Every day as a child, she would pedal that old bike to school.
Even when he was really young, he would play that piano for hours every day.

But we don't use "would" for state verbs:

I used to have a teddy bear when I was young.
NOT I would have a teddy bear when I was young.