“Would” and “used to” can both be used to talk about past habits or repeated actions, but there are some important differences in meaning, form, and usage.
✅ 1. “Used to”
Function:
Describes past habits or states that are no longer true.
Examples:
I used to play soccer every weekend. (habit)
She used to live in New York. (state)
We used to be best friends. (state)
Important:
“Used to” can describe both actions and states.
✅ 2. “Would” (for past)
Function:
Describes repeated actions or routines in the past, often with a sense of nostalgia.
Examples:
When I was a kid, we would go to the beach every summer. (habit)
My grandfather would tell us stories every night. (habit)
Important:
“Would” is only used for actions, not states. ❌ I would live in New York. → Incorrect ✅ I used to live in New York. → Correct
🔍 Summary Table:
Use
Used to
Would
Past habits
✔ Yes
✔ Yes
Past states (e.g., live, be, have)
✔ Yes
❌ No
Repeated past actions
✔ Yes
✔ Yes
Formality / tone
Neutral
Often more literary or nostalgic
Example
I used to ride my bike.
I would ride my bike every day.
🎯 Examples to Compare:
I used to be very shy. ✅ (State — OK with “used to,” but not “would”)
When we were kids, we would build forts in the backyard. ✅ (Repeated action — OK with “would” or “used to”)
She used to have a dog. ✅ (State — “would” not possible here)
Here are some practice exercises to help you practice the difference between “used to” and “would”.
It is used to express regret for a present situation and also used when the speaker wants reality to be different, to be exactly the opposite.
I don’t have a lot of money (I)
I wish I had a lot of money
He isn’t here now (I)
I wish he were here
She has to work overtime
She wishes she didn’t have to work overtime
Note: When using to be, both forms are accepted was or were, but were is standard English andwas is more informal.
Situation in the past = Wish + past perfect
To express regret for a past situation
I didn’t go to San Francisco last year
I wish I had gone to San Francisco last year
She saw a horror movie on TV last night
She wishes she hadn’t seen a horror movie on TV last night
Situation in the future = Wish + would/could
He won’t play better in the next game (they)
They wish they would play better in the next game
You will talk all the time (I)
I wish you wouldn’t talk all the time
Note: to express criticism of other’s people behavior or show a desire for an action to take place – for somebody else to do something
I wish he wouldn’t smoke here. This room is stuffy already. (but he probably will)
Grammar note:
We use wish + would to show dissatisfaction with a present situation; when you want something to change or somebody else to do something and feel annoyed or disappointed because they haven’t done yet so we cannot say “I wish I would” or “He wishes he would”
Wish + object
To express a greeting or a kind of blessing
I wish you a merry Christmas
Wish + Infinitive
To express a desire to do something; formal
We wish to establish new criteria for selecting candidates
1) We use the Present Perfect Continuous to talk about actions that started in the past and continue into the present.
The structure:
Have/has (not) + been + …Ing
What have you been doing lately?
I’ve been working two jobs for the last six months.
How long has she been studying English?
She’s been studying English for 2 years.
2) The present perfect continuous can also be used without a time expression to describe an activity that started in the past but it is still in progress:
Trecho do livro: Como Não aprender inglês – Michael A. Jacobs
Este livro é muito didático, aprendi muito com ele quando comecei a estudar inglês. Quando coloco DB é porque eu fiz a tradução.
Used to
Used to é uma expressão, uma forma e um phrasal verb. Cuidado para não confundi-la com o verbo to use (usar). Veja os seguintes exemplos com o verbo to use:
Brazilians usually use a knife and fork to eat pizza. (Brazileiros normalmente usam garfo e faca para comer pizza)
Americans usually eat pizza using their fingers. (Os americano normalmente comem pizza com as mãos) . Chamamos os pratos assim consumidos de finger food.
Mr. Jones sometimes uses a three-piece suit for work in the cold weather. (O Sr. Jones às vezes usa um terno de três peças quando o tempo está frio)
O verbo to use no passado é used.
I used a sweater because it was so cold. (Eu usei um suéter, pois estava tão frio).
Agora, caro leitor, esqueça o verbo to use, pois ele nada tem a ver com a expressão used to.
Used to tem dois sentidos totalmente diferentes. Eis aqui o primeiro.
Used to (I)
Coloca uma ação no passado. Descreve algo que você, alguém ou algo fazia no passado regularmente, durante algum tempo, mas já não faz mais.
I used to live in England (eu morava na Inglaterra, não moro mais)
DB: Eu costumava morar na Inglaterra
I + used to + verb
Nesse caso, used to pode ser:
Um hábito – Mary used to bite her nails. Thank God she’s stopped that disgusting habit. (Mary roía as unhas. Graças a Deus ela deixou esse hábito nojento).
Uma atividade – Guilherme used to play a lot of tennis: now that he is older he plays golf.
Uma situação – Dinosaurs used to exist 60 million years ago
Então used to + o verbo descreve uma atividade que não acontece mais.
Used to (II)
To be used to – quando utilizamos essa forma de used to (com o vebo to be), afirmamos que agora estamos acostumados com uma nova situação.
Michael is now used to living in Brazil (Michael agora está acostumado a viver no Brazil).
Mary is now used to having beautiful nails (Mary agora costuma ter unhas lindas).
Guilherme is used to playing golf with his friends (Guiherme está acostumado a jogar golfe com seus amigos).
I was used to living in France, but I had to move (eu estava acostumado a morar na França, mas tive de me mudar) .
He has been used to cooking for his friends for many years (ele está acostumado a cozinhar para seus amigos há muitos anos).
Você percebeu que used to + verbo é exclusivo para o passado, to be used to pode variar de tempo verbal.
Agora, mais exemplos para reforçar as diferenças:
USED TO
Larry used to study very hard at college (DB: Larry costumava estudar muito na faculdade)
Jane used to eat lots of red meat (Jane comia muita carne vermelha)
TO BE USED TO
Now he is used to working very hard at his company (Agora ele está acostumado a trabalhar muito na sua empresa)
Today she is used to eating only vegetables (Hoje ela está acostumada a comer apenas legumes).
As diferentes formas do used to parecem mais difíceis para o estudante brasileiro porque em português os verbos “costumar/acostumar” são empregados com flexibilidade para descrever situações passadas. A frase “Jane comia muita carne vermelha”, por exemplo, pode ser substituída por “Jane costumava comer muita carne vermelha”. Em inglês, qualquer alteração pode mudar completamente o significado ou o tempo em que a ação ocorre. O melhor é parar com as traduções mentais.
