Used to vs. Use to
Common Mistakes in English
A common mistake both
for learners of English as well as native speakers is the difference between
“Used to” and “Use to” and when (or if) we put the letter D at the end of the
verb.
First let’s look at
the meaning of it:
Used to = an action or habit that was common in the PAST but not anymore.
Used to = an action or habit that was common in the PAST but not anymore.
This should not be
confused with
To be used to = accustomed to something (normally out of habit or experience)
To be used to = accustomed to something (normally out of habit or experience)
Notice how Used to ends in –ed which normally means the verb is in the past
tense.
- I used
to drink coffee every morning but
now I drink tea.
- She used
to live in London but now she
lives in New York.
- He used
to play football professionally
but he had to quit because of an injury.
These sentences refer
to a past habit or a continuous action in the past and they are affirmative.
Used to in Negative
If we want to make a
negative sentence, the didn’t part shows that we are talking about the past tense.
It is NOT common to use Used to in negative form though we will show you how to do it anyway.
It is NOT common to use Used to in negative form though we will show you how to do it anyway.
Compare the normal
past tense:
- I played rugby on
Saturday. (past - affirmative)
- I didn’t play rugby on
Saturday. (past – negative – play doesn’t have the –ed at the end because the auxiliary didn’t tells us that the sentence is in the past tense)
And now let’s see a
sentence with Used to:
- I used
to like her, but now I hate her.
- I didn’t
use to like her but now I think she
is great.
Many times we use never instead of didn’t. In this case we use “used” in past tense. Compare:
- I didn’t use to smoke.
- I never used to smoke.
Used to in Questions
As with normal
questions in the past tense, we use the base form of the verb (not the verb in
past tense), since the auxiliary DID shows us that the question is in the past
tense.
- + I used
to ride a bike to school every day.
- - I didn’t use to ride
a bike to school. I would normally go by bus.
- ? Did you use
to ride a bike to school when you were a child?
Some more examples
- What did you use to do
after school when you were a kid?
- Where did you use to go
on vacation with your parents?
Why do people sometimes write Use to instead
of Used to in English?
Well, when we say used to, the final D in the verb used is pronounced like a T and since the next word
(TO) also begins with the T sound, it seems like there is only one T (that
belonging to the word TO).
When speaking, we frequently run words together (join words) so it would sound like Use-to.
When speaking, we frequently run words together (join words) so it would sound like Use-to.
Used to and Would
Sometimes we can
replace Used to with Would.
- My grandfather used to do exercises every day before work.
- My grandfather would do
exercises every day before work.
