Do you say I used to play tennis or I played tennis? Both talk about the past, and both can be correct — but they don’t always mean exactly the same thing.
In this lesson you’ll learn the difference between used to and the past simple, when to use each form, and how to avoid the mistakes English learners often make.
We’ll look at past habits, past situations, finished actions, questions and negatives, with examples from everyday English and the workplace.
- Used to vs past simple: the quick answer
- How to form used to in English
- When to use used to
- When to use the past simple
- When both forms are correct
- Used to and past simple with time expressions
- Used to vs past simple at work
- Used to vs would for past habits
- Listen to the podcast lesson
- Used to vs be used to and get used to
- Common mistakes with used to
- Test yourself: exercises
- Frequently asked questions
Used to vs past simple: the quick answer
The easiest way to remember the difference is this.
used toA past habit or situation
Rule: used to + base verb describes a past habit or situation that is no longer true now.
ExamplesI used to play tennis every Saturday.
I used to live in London.
There used to be a small shop on this corner.
past simpleA finished action or period
Rule: the past simple describes an action, event or situation in a finished period of the past.
ExamplesI played tennis yesterday.
I lived in London from 2018 to 2021.
The shop closed five years ago.
The past simple can also describe repeated actions in the past.
- When I was at university, I played tennis every Saturday.
So the important difference is not simply “repeated action” versus “finished action”. Used to usually gives us a contrast between the past and now. The past simple simply tells us what happened or was true in the past.
Compare these pairs.
I used to work in London.
I worked in London before, but I don’t work there now.
I worked in London for five years.
A finished period in my past. The five-year period is the important information.
I used to walk to school every day.
This was my old routine. I don’t do it now.
I walked to school every day when I was a child.
Also a past routine, but it simply tells us what happened during that period.
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How to form used to in English
The structure changes between affirmative sentences, negatives and questions. Get the three forms right and the rest is meaning.
used toAffirmative
Structure: subject + used to + base form of the verb.
ExamplesI used to live here.
My brother used to be a teacher.
We used to have a dog.
She used to cycle to work.
The verb after used to stays in the base form.
- I used to lived there.I used to live there.
didn’t use toNegative
Structure: subject + didn’t use to + base verb.
ExamplesI didn’t use to live here.
He didn’t use to like coffee.
We didn’t use to work from home.
After didn’t, write use to, not used to.
did … use toQuestions
Structure: Did + subject + use to + base verb?
ExamplesDid you use to live here?
Did your brother use to be a teacher?
Did they use to have a dog?
Short answersYes, they did.
No, they didn’t.
In speech, used to and use to sound very similar. In writing, remember to use use to after did or didn’t.
When to use used to in English
1. For past habits that have stopped
We use used to + verb for things we did regularly in the past but don’t do now.
- I used to take the train to college every day.
- We used to visit my grandparents every Sunday.
- She used to play tennis after work.
- I always used to go to the gym on Saturdays.
- We often used to stay up late when we were at university.
The action happened many times, and there is usually a clear or understood contrast with the present.
I used to drink a lot of coffee normally suggests that I don’t drink as much coffee now.
2. For past situations or states that are no longer true
Used to is not only for actions. We can also use it for situations, relationships, possession, feelings and other states that were true in the past but have changed.
- My brother used to be a teacher.
- I used to have long hair.
- There used to be a bank across the road.
- She used to know everyone in the neighbourhood.
- We used to live near the city centre.
These are not repeated actions. They describe situations that existed for a period of time in the past.
3. When you want to compare the past with now
Used to is particularly useful when something has changed.
- I used to drive to work, but now I take the train.
- We used to have a large office, but most of the team works remotely now.
- She used to be very nervous when she spoke English, but she’s much more confident now.
This is one reason used to is so common when people talk about changes in their lives.
Past simpleWhen to use the past simple in English
1. For a single finished action
- I bought a new dress yesterday.
- She called me this morning.
- We finished the project last Friday.
- I met him at a conference in Berlin.
These are completed events at a finished time in the past. We don’t normally use used to for a single event.
- I used to meet her in 2020.I met her in 2020.
2. For a finished period or duration
The past simple is usually the clearest choice when you say exactly how long something lasted or give a finished period.
- I lived in Madrid for six years.
- He worked for the company from 2017 to 2022.
- We stayed there for three weeks.
- Jim studied archaeology for two years.
I used to work in Madrid.
This focuses on the difference between my old situation and my situation now.
I worked in Madrid from 2018 to 2021.
This focuses on a specific finished period.
3. For repeated past actions
This is where many learners get confused. The past simple can also describe habits and repeated actions in the past.
- When I was young, I played football every Saturday.
- She walked to work every day when she lived nearby.
- We went to the same restaurant every Friday.
So you cannot choose used to simply because an action happened many times. The context and the meaning are important.
4. For a number of completed occasions
If you say exactly how many times something happened during a finished period, use the past simple.
- I called him three times yesterday.
- We met twice during the conference.
- She visited Paris four times when she lived in France.
I used to call my grandmother every Sunday.
This describes an old routine.
I called my grandmother three times last week.
This gives the number of completed actions during a specific period.
When used to and past simple are both correct
Sometimes both forms are possible. The difference is in what you want to emphasise: used to makes the old habit or situation more important and usually suggests that things are different now, while the past simple simply describes the past.
I used to stay with my aunt when I was younger.
The old habit stands out, and it suggests this no longer happens.
I stayed with my aunt when I was younger.
A simple statement about the past.
The building across the road used to be a police station.
This makes us think about how the building has changed.
The building across the road was a police station in the 1980s.
This gives a fact about a particular period in the past.
Both I used to play tennis every weekend and I played tennis every weekend when I was at university describe a past habit. Used to gives a stronger sense that the habit has finished.
Time expressionsUsed to and past simple with time expressions
Both forms can appear with time expressions, but we tend to use different types of time information with each one.
Used to: general past periods and frequency
- when I was younger
- when we were at school
- in those days
- every weekend
- every summer
- often
- always
- regularly
- I used to visit my grandparents every summer.
- We often used to go out after work.
- When I was younger, I used to cycle everywhere.
Past simple: specific times, durations and numbers
- yesterday
- last Monday
- in 2022
- at six o’clock
- for five years
- from 2018 to 2021
- three times last week
- I sent the document yesterday.
- We worked together for four years.
- She called me twice last night.
- The company opened the new office in 2023.
Used to vs past simple at work
You’ll need this difference when you talk about your career, explain how a company worked before, describe an old process, or compare the way your team works now with the way it worked in the past.
I used to work in sales, but now I work in operations.
This emphasises the change in your career.
I worked in sales from 2018 to 2022.
This gives a specific period in your employment history.
Old processes. We used to approve expenses by email, but now everything goes through the online system. — We changed to the new expenses system in January.
Meetings and routines. We used to have a team meeting every Friday, but we stopped doing that last year. — We had three project meetings last week.
Clients. We used to send the client a monthly report. — We sent the final report on Monday.
Offices and working arrangements. Our office used to be near the station. — Our office was near the station until 2021.
These differences are useful in Business English when you describe your previous experience in an interview, explain a change during a presentation, give background in a meeting or talk about an old way of working.
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Do you use English at work?
Grammar is only one part of communicating clearly at work. You may also need the right words to ask for clarification, disagree, answer an unexpected question or write an email without sounding too direct.
I’ve put together free Business English resources for exactly these situations, including practical phrase guides, quizzes and tools.
Explore free Business English resources →Used to vs would for past habits
You can also use would + base verb for some past habits.
- When I was a child, we used to spend every summer with my grandparents.
- Every morning, my grandfather would get up early and make breakfast.
- Every afternoon, we would walk down to the river.
Both used to and would can describe repeated past actions. However, there is an important difference: we can use used to for past states and situations, but we don’t normally use would for these meanings.
- I would live in Dublin.I used to live in Dublin.
Would works best for repeated actions, particularly when the past situation has already been established.
When I worked in Berlin, we would meet every Monday morning to discuss the week ahead.
But our office used to be next to the station describes a past state, so used to is the natural choice.
Listen to this lesson
Used to is only one way to talk about habits in English. In episode 455 of Speak Better English with Harry, you’ll hear more ways to describe present and past habits, including used to, would, was always + -ing and kept on + -ing.
Episode 455: Talking About Habits in English. Listen while you’re travelling or walking, then come back to the examples below.
Used to vs be used to and get used to
Be careful. These three structures look similar, but they mean very different things.
used toused to + base verb
Meaning: an old habit or situation. I did this in the past, but I don’t now.
ExampleI used to work from home.
→ I worked from home in the past, but I don’t now.
be used tobe used to + noun or -ing
Meaning: something is normal or familiar to you.
ExamplesI’m used to working from home.
I’m used to early meetings.
I’m used to speaking English with international colleagues.
get used toget used to + noun or -ing
Meaning: the process of becoming familiar or comfortable with something.
ExamplesI’m getting used to working from home.
It took me a few weeks to get used to the new software.
You’ll soon get used to speaking English in meetings.
- I used to work in a small office.
- I’m used to working in a large international company.
- It took me a while to get used to working with several different time zones.
Common mistakes with used to
Here are the mistakes learners make most often with used to.
1. Using the past form after used to
- I used to worked there.I used to work there.
Always use the base form after used to.
2. Writing used to after did or didn’t
- Did you used to work here?Did you use to work here?
- I didn’t used to like coffee.I didn’t use to like coffee.
After did and didn’t, use use to.
3. Using used to for one finished event
- I used to call him yesterday.I called him yesterday.
Used to describes a past habit or state, not one completed event.
4. Using used to for a present habit
- I use to work from home twice a week.I work from home twice a week.
Used to + verb always refers to the past.
5. Confusing used to with be used to
I used to speak English every day.
A past habit — I did this before.
I’m used to speaking English every day.
Speaking English every day is normal for me now.
Used to vs past simple: test yourself
Choose the correct form of the verb in brackets. Your score appears once you’ve answered all ten.
0 of 10 answered
A past state that has changed — I keep my hair short now.
When I was younger, I ________ very long hair, but I keep it short now.
A single finished action at a specific time.
I ________ this laptop last September.
A past state, and the situation has since changed.
Our office ________ near the station, but we moved two years ago.
A finished period with exact start and end dates.
I ________ for that company from 2019 to 2023.
A stated number of completed occasions.
We ________ three times last week to discuss the project.
A negative about the past, now changed.
She ________ coffee, but now she drinks it every morning.
A question about a past routine.
________ a lot for work before you changed jobs?
A past routine at university.
When we were at university, we ________ together every evening.
A single finished event, yesterday afternoon.
The client ________ me yesterday afternoon.
A past process that has since changed.
Before we introduced the new system, the team ________ every order manually.
Answers
Show the answers
- used to have – When I was younger, I used to have very long hair.
- bought – I bought this laptop last September.
- used to be – Our office used to be near the station.
- worked – I worked for that company from 2019 to 2023.
- met – We met three times last week.
- didn’t use to like – She didn’t use to like coffee.
- Did you use to travel – Did you use to travel a lot for work?
- used to study / studied – both forms are possible; used to study puts more emphasis on the old routine.
- called – The client called me yesterday afternoon.
- used to enter – The team used to enter every order manually.
For question 8, both forms are correct. We used to study together every evening puts more emphasis on the old routine and the fact that it no longer happens; we studied together every evening when we were at university simply describes what we regularly did during that period.
Used to vs past simple: quick summary
Use used to + base verb for a past habit or situation that has changed — I used to work in a bank.
Use the past simple for a completed action or situation in a finished past period — I worked in a bank for five years.
The past simple can also describe repeated past actions — I walked to school every day when I was a child.
Used to often emphasises the difference between the past and now — I used to walk to work, but now I drive.
Use didn’t use to for negatives and Did you use to…? for questions.
I used to work late.
I did this in the past.
I’m used to working late.
Working late is normal for me now.
Frequently asked questions about used to and past simple
What is the difference between used to and past simple?
Used to describes a past habit or situation that is no longer true. The past simple describes actions, events and situations in a finished past time.
The past simple can also describe repeated actions, but it does not emphasise the contrast between the past and now in the same way.
Can I use the past simple instead of used to?
Often, yes, particularly when you are describing repeated actions in the past.
I used to walk to school every day. / I walked to school every day when I was a child.
Both are correct. Used to puts more emphasis on the old habit and the change from past to present.
Is used to only for past habits?
No. We also use it for past states and situations.
- I used to be very shy.
- There used to be a cinema here.
- I used to have a motorbike.
Is it “did you use to” or “did you used to”?
For standard written English, use Did you use to…? — for example, Did you use to work here?
Because did already shows the past, the next verb uses the base form use.
What is the negative of used to?
The usual form for learners is didn’t use to + base verb.
- I didn’t use to drink coffee.
- We didn’t use to work remotely.
What is the difference between used to and would?
Both can describe repeated past actions.
We used to visit them every summer. / Every summer, we would visit them.
However, used to can also describe past states, such as I used to live in London. We don’t normally use would for a past state like this.
What is the difference between used to and be used to?
They have completely different meanings.
Used to + verb describes a past habit or situation — I used to travel a lot.
Be used to + noun/-ing means something is familiar or normal — I’m used to travelling a lot.
Can I use used to with every day, always or often?
Yes. These expressions make the past habit or routine clear.
- I used to walk to work every day.
- I often used to visit my grandparents.
- She always used to arrive early.
Do we use used to for one event in the past?
No. For one completed event, use the past simple.
- I met him yesterday.
- I bought the car in 2022.
- I sent the email this morning.
Want help with your own English?
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Book a free trial lesson →Related English lessons
If this lesson was useful, these will help you talk about habits, states and time in English more confidently.
- Talking About Habits in English Use it to learn more ways to describe present and past habits, including used to, would, was always + -ing and other natural expressions.
- How to Use Stative Verbs in English Use it to understand verbs that describe states, thoughts, possession and feelings, such as know, believe, have and like.
- Difference Between Since and For Use it to understand how English talks about starting points and periods of time.
- How to Use Prepositions of Time: In, On and At Use it to choose the correct preposition when you give dates, days and times.
- English Idioms Related to Habits Use it to extend your vocabulary with common English expressions for routines, repeated behaviour and habits.