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Table of contents

1. Will, would, or used to + infinitive without to

2. Would vs used to

3. When not to use would or used to

1. Will, would, or used to + infinitive without to

In this English grammar lesson, we will look into the habitual aspect of the auxiliaries will, would, and used to. Will can be used to express a repetitive habit in the present time.

  1. Every day she will read a book before going to bed.
  2. Every morning he will go for a run before breakfast.
  3. She will tell her problems to everyone even if you are not asking about them.
  4. Every day she will take the dog for a walk.

We can use either would or used to to express a past habit.

  1. As a child, we used to / would play football every weekend.
  2. When we were at the university, we used to / would stay in the lab until midnight every day.
  3. When I was a child, my father used to / would tell me a story before I fell asleep.
  4. In the old days, people used to / would travel by horses.
  5. People used to / would work from home during the Covid-19 lockdown.
  6. When I lived in Myanmar, my roommate was a Buddhist. Every morning, he used to / would meditate in the mountains before starting his day.

2. Would vs used to

We only use would when we talk about repetitive events or actions in the past. We use used to instead of would when the repetitive aspect is absent or the time reference is not clear. We also use used to when we talk about a particular state in the past that has changed. Let's study the following examples:

  1. I used to meditate in this place. I would meditate in this place. (There is no time reference.)
  2. We used to live in Portmeirion. We would live in Portmeirion. (There is no repetitive aspect.)
  3. When we were in Portmeirion, we would / used to take a walk in the Gwyllt every Sunday.
  4. I used to be afraid of snakes. I would be afraid of snakes. (A state in the past that has changed.)
  5. Smartphones used to be a luxury.
  6. I used to hate him until we became friends. I would hate him until I became friends with him.
  7. I used to live with a very difficult neighbour. Whenever we met, we would / used to have an argument for hours over unimportant things.

3. When not to use would or used to

Neither used to nor would is used in the following situations:

  1. when we talk about a single event happening at a specific time in the past,
  2. when we know how many times something happened and the habitual or repetitive aspect is absent.
  1. One day we went to St. Peter’s Basilica to see the Pope celebrating a mass. One day we used to / would go to St. Peter’s Basilica to see the Pope celebrating a mass.
  2. I went to Paris in 1994. I used to / would go to Paris in 1994. (A single event happening at a specific time in the past.)
  3. I went to a nightclub twice during my teenage years. I used to / would go to a nightclub twice during my teenage years. However, it is correct to say: During my teenage years, I used to / would go to a night club twice every week.
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