Used to

USED TO

El used to expresa hechos o estados que eran habituales en otro tiempo y luego dejaron de serlo. Solo tiene la forma del pasado y va seguido de otro verbo en la forma base. Se traduce como el pretérito imperfecto del verbo “soler”, es decir, por ejemplo “yo solía”.

AFIRMATIVO	NEGATIVO	INTERROGATIVO
I used to forgive You used to forgive He used to forgive She used to forgive We used to forgive You used to forgive They used to forgive	I didn’t use to forgive You didn’t use to forgive He didn’t use to forgive She didn’t use to forgive We didn’t use to forgive You didn’t use to forgive They didn’t use to forgive	Did I use to forgive? Yes, I did Did you use to forgive? No, you didn’t Did he use to forgive? Did she use to forgive? Did we use to forgive? Did you use to forgive? Did they use to forgive?

EXERCISES

1. Write sentences with the words below. Use the correct form of used to.

My mum / volunteer / at the hospital à ______________________________________

I / not cross / the street / alone à ___________________________________________

All my friends / live / close to me à _________________________________________

Our town / not have / a big shopping centre à _________________________________

My sister / borrow / clothes from me à ______________________________________

2. Complete the sentences with the verbs in brackets. Use used to, affirmative or negative.

-         I ________________ (watch) the news when I was younger, but now I watch the news every day.

-         My dad _________________(read) the newspaper, but these days, he prefers reading everything on the Internet.

-         People ______________________ (demonstrate) to prevent the building of new roads in town, but it didn’t help much.

-         My school marks ________________________(be) good in primary school, but they improved a lot last year.

-         I ____________________ (eat) a lot of hamburgers  and steak, but now I don’t eat much meat.

3. Ted is asking his grandmother about how things used to be when she was a child. Complete the questions with the correct form of used to and the verbs in brackets. Then match the questions with the answers.

Ted’s questions:

      a) ______________ you and your friends ______________ (listen) to pop music?

b)      ______________your school ______________(have) computers?

c)      _______________your mum _______________(use) a cooker?

d)      ________________you ________________(do) your homework at a desk?

e)      ________________you ________________(see) cars on the streets?

Grandmother’s answers:

1. No, it didn’t. We found information in an encyclopaedia, not on the internet.
2. Yes, we did, and she made us hot meals every day.
3. Yes, we did, but they were expensive, so many people travelled by bus.
4. No, I didn’t. I did my homework on the kitchen table.
5. Yes, we did. I love Elvis Presley!

4. Complete the sentences with the phrases below and used to or didn’t use to. Then tick the sentences that are true for you.

Play football – eat salads – study much for tests – wake up early

-         I _________________________ at all, but now I eat lots of vegetables every day.

-         I _________________________at the weekend, but now I get up late every weekend.

-         I _________________________with my friends, but now we usually play more basketball.

-         I _________________________, but now I work hard before every test.

5. Complete the sentences with the verbs in brackets. Use the correct form of used to.

-         Kate _____________________(volunteer) at a school.

-         Adam ________________________(not like) fish, but now he loves it.

-         ____________________you ___________________(have) long hair?

-         I ____________________(not speak) French, but I took many lessons.

-         We ________________ (live) near the beach.