Used to, didn't use to: Past habits and states
Talk about past habits and states that are no longer true today.
- check_circleI can talk about habits I had in the past.
- check_circleI can talk about past states that have changed.
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
Emma: Hey, Mark! I haven’t seen you in years! You look so different. Mark: Hi Emma! Yes, a lot has changed. I used to have long hair and glasses, remember? Emma: Oh, right! You also didn’t use to wear a suit. You always wore t-shirts. Mark: Well, I have an office job now in a law firm. I used to sleep until noon, but now I wake up at 6 a.m. Emma: Wow. Did you use to drink coffee? I remember you only drank soda. Mark: No, I didn’t use to drink coffee at all, but now I need it every morning to survive! What about you? Emma: I still play the guitar, but I don’t play in a band anymore. We used to practice every weekend in my parents’ garage. Mark: Those were the good old days!
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
We use used to + infinitive to talk about past habits or states that are no longer true in the present.
I used to play video games every day, but now I don’t have time.
It’s very common to use used to to talk about our childhood.
Affirmative Sentences
To make affirmative sentences, use the subject + used to + base form of the verb.
She used to live in Paris. (State: She doesn’t live there now.) They used to eat meat, but now they are vegetarians. (Habit: They don’t eat meat anymore.)
Negative Sentences
To make negative sentences, use didn’t use to + base form of the verb.
Notice that in the negative form, we write use to (without a ‘d’ at the end) because the past tense is already in didn’t.
I didn’t use to like vegetables when I was younger.
Common Mistake: Do not say “I didn’t used to…”
- ❌ I didn’t used to smoke.
- ✅ I didn’t use to smoke.
Questions
To ask questions about past habits, use Did + subject + use to + base form.
Did you use to play sports in high school? Where did he use to work?
We can also talk about a past state, such as thoughts, feelings, or situations.
- Affirmative: Subject + used to + infinitive (I used to swim.)
- Negative: Subject + didn’t use to + infinitive (I didn’t use to swim.)
- Question: Did + subject + use to + infinitive (Did you use to swim?)
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.
Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?