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Typical behaviour: used to + infinitive

Meaning​

We use used to + infinitive to talk about past habits and states which are now finished.

  • I used to smoke, but now I’ve stopped. (not I was used to smoke …)
  • That casino used to be a cinema.
past habits and states which are now finished​I used to smoke, but now I've stopped.​PASTNOW🚬🚬🚬��🚬🚬🚬🚬🚬🚭🚭🚭

Only past​

Used to … has no present form (and no progressive, perfect, infinitive or -ing forms). To talk about present habits and states, we usually just use the simple present tense (see here).

  • He smokes. (not He uses to smoke.)
  • Her brother still collects stamps.

Questions and negatives​

When questions and negatives are written, they often have did … used instead of did … use. Many people consider this incorrect.

  • What did people use(d) to do in the evenings before TV?
  • I didn’t use(d) to like opera, but now I do.

The contraction usedn’t is also possible, especially in British English.

  • I usedn’t to like opera.

But the most common negative is never used …

  • I never used to like opera.

In a formal style, questions and negatives without do are possible, but these are not very common, and are rare in American English.

  • I used not to like opera, but now I do. (or I used to not like opera …) (BrE)
  • Used you to play football at school? (BrE)

These forms are not used in tags.

  • You used not to like him, did you? (not … used you?)

When used to … is not used​

Used to refers to things that happened at an earlier stage of one’s life and are now finished: there is an idea that circumstances have changed. The structure is not used simply to say what happened at a particular past time, or how long it took, or how many times it happened.

  • I worked very hard last month. (not I used to work very hard last month.)
  • I lived in Chester for three years. (not I used to live in Chester for three years.)
  • I went to France seven times last year. (not I used to go to France seven times last year.)

Word order​

Mid-position adverbials (see here) can go before or after used. The position before used is more common in an informal style.

  • I always used to be afraid of dogs. (informal)
  • I used always to be afraid of dogs. (formal, and rare in AmE)

Pronunciation​

Note the pronunciation of used /juːst/ and use /juːs/ in this structure.

used + infinitive and be used to …ing​

Used + infinitive has a quite different meaning from be used to …ing (see here). Compare:

  • I didn’t use to drive a big car. (= Once I didn’t drive a big car, but now I do.) (not I wasn’t used to drive a big car.)
  • I wasn’t used to driving a big car. (= Driving a big car was a new and difficult experience – I hadn’t done it before.)

used to and would​

Used to and would can both refer to repeated actions and events in the past.

  • When she was old, she used to / would sit in the corner talking to herself for hours.
  • Sometimes he used to / would bring me little presents without saying why.

But only used to can refer to past states. Compare:

  • When we were children we used to / would go skating every winter.
  • I used to have an old Rolls-Royce. (but not I would have an old Rolls-Royce.)

And we use used to, not would, to talk about regular and important habitual behaviour.

  • Robert used to play a lot of football. (not Robert would play …)
  • I used to smoke. (not I would smoke.)