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"Used to" is a phrase used to describe actions or states that were regular or habitual in the past but no longer happen in the present.

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This is its structure for different sentences:

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This is its structure for different sentences:

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Positive sentence: Subject + used to + base verb.

Negative sentence: Subject + didn't use to + base verb.

Question: Did + subject + use to + base verb

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By using "used to," you can clearly express past habits or conditions that no longer exist in your present life.

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Here are some videos and online pages to learn more:

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Here are some videos and online pages to learn more:

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Is it I use to be a singer or I used to be a singer? Perhaps you also wonder if it's correct to say I'm used to the warm California weather. When speaking, it's hard to tell the difference. But in writing, both phrases have completely different meanings, but I'll explain everything you need to know.

Let's dive deep into the two definitions of used to and some examples of how to use them in a sentence. I also explain when to use use to vs. used to in sentences.

"Used to" Meaning

The term used two has two possible definitions.

First, it can mean accustomed to or habituated to. In this case, we always say used to and not use to. You may be used to something like walking in the dark, horseback riding, or reading foreign literature. For example:

Living with a dog was difficult, but now I am used to it.

You need to get used to living on your own to prepare for college.

Another meaning of used to is formerly. It expresses something that happened in the past but is no longer valid or happening now. For example:

I used to work as a nurse. (I am not a nurse anymore.)

My daughter used to be shy, but now she's confident.

Therefore, you can say living with a dog used to be difficult, but now you're used to it.

How to Use "Used To"

I would use used to when referring to accustomed. For example:

I am used to waking up early.

You can also use the verb get + used to or a combination of be + used to to show that you are in the state of being accustomed to something. For example:

I should get used to reading more often.

When writing questions with used to, we use did + use to. For example:

Did you use to have that car model?

Use the auxiliary verb did with used to to emphasize the action. For example:

I didn't learn how to bake a cake. But I did used to bake cookies for my friends.

Tag questions are also common with the phrase used to. The correct word to use for the question is always did. For example:

Incorrect: He used to be on the basketball team, was he?

Incorrect: He used to be on the basketball team, does he?

Correct: He used to be on the basketball team, did he?

Is it "Use to" or "Used to"?

In most cases, the correct phrase is used to. For example:

I used to be the president of the Drama Club.

I got used to the heat.

The only time you can say use to is when writing it with the auxiliary verb did in interrogative and negative sentences. Note that we are referring to use to as formerly and not accustomed. For example:

Did I use to play with these toy dolls?

My father didn't use to drive as a teenager.

What Part of Speech is "Used to"?

Used to with the definition formerly functions as a verb. A bare infinitive follows the preposition to. For example:

I used to buy her flowers, but she's allergic to them now.

Used to, which means accustomed to, is a past participle form of the verb that acts as an adjective. Its preceding verbs are usually be verbs and get. For example:

I got used to calling him regularly.

Is "Used" a Verb?

Used is the simple past tense and past participle form of the verb use.

Final Word on "Used to"

The phrase used to in the English language should not intimidate you. All you have to do is treat it like any other verb or past participle form. Remember what I said about used to having two possible definitions:

Accustomed to or habituated to

Formerly (used to show former habit, situation, or action)

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Used To or Use To? - Meaning and Examples

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Learn the difference between use to and used to and when to properly work them into your writing.

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En este post vamos a contarte todos los secretos de la forma used to para que la integres perfectamente en tu inglés. Ready? Let's go!

Empecemos por el principio: ¿qué significa used to?

¡Cuidado! Used to puede ser un false friend y es que nada tiene que ver con el verbo usar en el sentido de utilizar algo. Used to se utiliza para hablar de una costumbre del pasado, es decir, algo que solía suceder de forma habitual pero ya no ocurre en el presente.

Vamos a ver un ejemplo:

When I was a child, I used to play in the park.
Cuando era una niña, solía jugar en el parque.

Es decir, cuando era pequeña iba a jugar al parque habitualmente, pero ya no lo hago.

We used to go to the cinema every Saturday until they close it down.
Solíamos ir al cine todos los sábados hasta que lo cerraron.

Ahora que ya tienes claro qué significa... ¡vamos con la gramática! ¿Cómo se usa used to?

Se trata de una estructura muy sencilla:
Sujeto + used to + verbo en infinitivo
Used to funciona como un modal verb, así que siempre va seguido de un verbo en infinitivo.
Sujeto + didn't/did not + use to + verbo principal
I didn't use to like haggis, but now I love it. No me solía gustar el haggis, pero ahora me encanta.

Watch out! Como el pasado aparece en la forma auxiliar, used to pierde la -d.

Shakespeare didn't use to write poems but plays. Shakespeare no solía escribir poemas sino obras de teatro.
Did/Didn't + Sujeto + use to + verbo principal
Did you use to walk to school?Yes, I did/ No, I didn't.
¿Solías ir andando al colegio?Sí, solía/ No, no solía.

Didn't you use to live in a flat?
¿No solías vivir en un piso?

Igual que en la forma negativa, aquí used también pierde la -d ¡no lo olvides!

Pero... ¿en qué se diferencia del past simple?

El past simple se utiliza en inglés para hablar de acciones puntuales en el pasado o de situaciones o estados pasados. Sin embargo, used to sirve para expresar hábitos del pasado, reitera la continuación de las acciones en el pasado y enfatiza que ya no tienen lugar en el presente.

Para expresar la idea de una acción repetida en el pasado que ya no sucede en el presente, podemos usar would en lugar de used to:

They would spend the evenings with their grandmother.
Ellos solían pasar las tardes con su abuela.

Hay que tener en cuenta que el uso de would es más formal que el de used to y suele utilizarse en el ámbito literario. Es muy poco común usarlo en su forma negativa e interrogativa.

¿Sabías que used to también puede utilizarse como adjetivo? En este caso se utiliza después del verbo to be y significa estar acostumbrado a algo. Se puede usar seguido de un sustantivo o de un verbo, en cuyo caso irá en su forma -ing.

She lives in a big city, she's used to traffic jams.
Vive en una gran ciudad, está acostumbrada a los atascos.

I'm used to exercising every day. Estoy acostumbrado a hacer ejercicio todos los días.

¡Vamos a practicar un poco! Ordena las siguientes frases hasta formar una correcta con la fórmula used to:

1. seaside we to go to the every kid when usedsummer was I a.

2. didn't shops use be so they're crowded as nowadays to.

3. with use to did work you Kevin Harris?

4. didn't use when to like broccoli I younger I was.

5. used to he's play now he too football but old.

¡Esperamos haber resuelto todas tus dudas en este post!
1.We used to go to the seaside every summer when I was a kid. ¿Qué te ha parecido? Esperamos que te haya resultado útil.
2. Shops didn't use to be so crowded as they're nowadays.

4. I didn't use to like broccoli when I was younger.

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USED TO: cómo usar used to en inglés, ejemplos y ejercicios - Cambridge Blog

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Used to es una estructura muy común en inglés que seguramente ya hayas oído. Pero ¿sabes qué significa y cómo utilizarla correctamente?

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"Used to" and "Use to": What Does It Mean?

"Used to" or "use to"? What's the difference? Many people who join the course program would be confused about this. Since they sound similar, and we can barely distinguish the difference by listening.

"Used to" and "use to" both refer to something that somebody habituates or becomes accustomed to. In this article, we will introduce the differences between "used to" and "use to", and there is a practice at the end of the article to help you check whether you learn it well! You can check our other articles if you are always wonderinghow to learn English.

"Used To" as an Adjective

As an adjective, "used to" refers to the feeling of being accustomed to something, here are some examples of "used to"as an adjective.

"Used To" as an Verb

As a verb, "used to" refers to a past habit, action, or fact that is no longer exist. Here are some examples of "used to" as a verb.

Rule of Thumb

When using the irregular verb (to be) in any sentence, if the verb following used to is in form V+ing, always use "is/am/are (present continuous)"

"Used to": Former Fact, Habit, or Action

How do we write a sentence with "used to"?

The format is: subject + used to + bare infinitive.

For example:

It means I smoked after dinner in the past, but now I don't smoke anymore.

It means I danced in my free time in the past, but now I don't dance anymore.

It means I had breakfast at 9 am in the past, but I don't have breakfast now; perhaps I'm fasting.

"Use To": When it Comes With "Did"

For examples:

With the same rules above, it's "use to" instead of "used to" in a question or negative sentence which includes "did" to talk about habits.

In these sentences, it means the person didn't have the habit of having breakfast in the past

In general, "use to" and "used to" are the same meaning in the sentence, it just changes the form due to grammatical rules.
In a nutshell:

Meaning

Refer to something that somebody habituates or becomes accustomed to.

Refer to something that somebody habituates or becomes accustomed to

Usage

Be used in most situations

When there is "did" in the sentence

Example

I used to learn English online.

Did you use to learn English online?

"Used To" vs "Use To": When To Use

Now we have the idea of how to tell the difference between "used to" and "use to. Let's read the dialogue to know it better.

Dialogue in a restaurant
Waitress: Hello, are you ready to order ? Customer: Yes, we are. Do you have any recommendations? Waitress: All right, how about the salad? It's also popular. Customer: Uhm... I don't like the salad, could you recommend another one?
In this dialogue, they use "used to" to express their habits in the past. If there is "did" in the sentence, like "I didn't..." or "Did you..." it changes to "use to" without the "d".

To the customer, he was omnivorous so he "used to" order steak as his main course, but now, he is a vegetarian, so he doesn't eat meat anymore.

Dialogue in a gym
Visitor: Hi, are you done with this bike? Member: Yes. It's all yours. Just let me towel it off for you. Visitor: Are you a member here? I'm trying out a few gyms this week. Visitor: Cool, did you use to work out with a friend? I'm looking for a partner. Visitor: That's awesome!
In this dialogue, the member said he "used to" work out at the park, which means he worked out at the park before, but now, he works out at the gym.

And the visitor is looking for a partner to work out together, so he asks, " Did you use to..." he uses "use to" because there is " did " in the sentence.

Tips To Remember the Difference
If you are using this phrase as an adverb in an affirmative sentence, you should always choose " is always incorrect in this context.

Get Used to It: Usage

Is the grammar challenging? We will get used to it.

In this case, "get used to it" is a commonly-used phrase when it refers to "become habituated" We use this construction when we want to express that habituation is ongoing.

for example:

The weather in Japan is cold, but you will get used to it. (correct)

The weather in Japan is cold, but you will get use to it. (incorrect)

Learning English online is hard to habituate at first, but we will get used to it. (correct)

Learning English online is hard to habituate at first, but we will get use to it. (incorrect)

As we can see, "used to" is always the correct one for the structure.

In English, many words sound similar, like ""; we call them "homophonic phrases/words" we need to know the grammatical rules and be careful while using them; it will be easy to distinguish them.

Phonetic Confusion: Why Do They Sound So Similar?

Have you ever considered why these two phrases are so easily confusing? One of the reasons is that it sounds very similar, called phonetic confusion. When someone is talking to you, it's tough to distinguish between "used to" and "use to"; there are some reasons why it happened.

Use: The S Sound

The word "use" has different sounds depending on whether it is a noun or a verb.

When we use "use" as a noun, it has an "s" sound, it means "the intended purpose of an item"

https://blog.amazingtalker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/CleanShot202022-09-2620at2013.46.51.mp3

When we use "use" as a verb, it has a "z" sound, it means "to put into action"
For example: I use a pen to write an article.
https://blog.amazingtalker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/CleanShot202022-09-2620at2013.40.40.mp3

When we use "use" as a verb, the meaning is "to no longer do something that someone is accustomed to doing in the past"
For example: Andy used to drink coffee in the morning.
Used To: The D Sound

The sound of D in "used' and the T in "to" are easy to blend, and that's why they sound so similar. They both use the soft s sound as well, so it's hard to tell which phrase a speaker is saying.

There are two ways to distinguish the difference between them, one is to read the sentence in texture, and the other is to determine the semantics of the speaker's words.

https://blog.amazingtalker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/CleanShot-2022-10-04-at-15.05.22.mp3

Let's Practice "Used to" and "Use to"!

We all know the difference between these two phrases. Let's do some practice to make sure we understand. Write down the answers on paper, then check the answer at the end of the paragraph afterward. Practicing after learning a new concept is the best way to learn a new language! (answer at the end of paragraph)

Is it use to or used to ?

1. Aaron _____ play tennis with his friend after school.

2. Amy _____ read a comic book before sleep.

3. Did the dog _____ play with his owner in the park?

4. Wade ______ have breakfast at 9 am in morning.

5. Camilla didn't ______ smoke after dinner.

6. We didn't ______ drink so much.

7. Richard ______ read the book to his classmates.

8. Adam ______ go skiing in northern Japan in winter.

9. Herbert ______ play basketball after school.

10. Did they ______ stay out late?

11. Jimmy didn't ______ say hello to his teachers.

12. Jasmine ______ dance when she is happy.

"Used to" and "use to" are interesting, yet confusing phrases, because they sound the same, but have different spellings. But despite the confusion they cause, it's not impossible to learn the difference and master these phrases. With daily practice and the help of amazing English tutors, your problems would be solved in no time!

If you enjoyed this article, and want know well, make sure to check out now.

The Answers to Practice

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"Used to" or "Use to" - Differences And Grammar Rules

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"used to" refers to something you're familiar with; "use to" comes with did. In brief, when you're talking about things that always happened, use "used to"

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USED TO| BE USED TO| GET USED TO - English grammar

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Get used to / be used to / used to en inglés | Gramática inglesa fácil