Our lesson today revolves around formula of ( Used to ) it's one of the most important ways in English that is used to express customs that have occurred in the past . In this lesson, we will clarify their compositions in all cases, both negative, affirmation or even questioning .
We will also explain how to use it with several examples to illustrate.
Used to in ( Negative – Affirmation – Questioning )
| Example | Formation | Used to |
| -Samira used to have a long hair when she was child -My brother used to play tennis when he was young -My friend used to have a small store now, he have a big mall -Amir used to ride motorcycle now, he rides a car |
Used to + infinitive | Affirmation |
| -Ahmed didn't used to be able to ride a new car, but now he can. -Hana didn't used to help her mom in cooking . -She didn't used to speak French, but now she learns it . -They didn’t used to go to school by bus . |
Didn't + used to + Infinitive | Negative |
| -What did she used to do when she comes at home from school? -Where did she used to go on Friday ? -Did you used to travel to America on weekend? -Did your mom used to water the flowers ? -What did your sister used to play in the club ? |
Did + subject + used to + infinitive ? | Questioning |
Uses of ( Used to )
1-This constant formula is used to express habits that have been occurring in the past but don't happen in the present, Which it express only the past tense
For example :
✔ She used to play volleyball, but now she is inappropriate physical .
✔ Dina used to sing to her little baby before sleep
✔ My dad used to buy ice cream for me when he comes back at home .
2-It's also used to express a condition that lasted in the past for a while and then disappeared and it doesn't exist anymore.
(Note)
* In case of negative in official writings we write ( Did not ) and it is not right to be short ( Didn't ) as shown in the following example:
✔ They did not used to be coward as right now.
* We should also point out that we can't use (Verb to be ) before ( Used to ) because in this case the meaning of the sentence will disagree completely .
Also we have to indicate the possibility of using The Auxiliary verb ( did ) in sometimes with (Used to ) to emphasize the occurrence of an act or thing in the past
For example :
They didn't used to treat very much with local residents, but they did used to say good day in the street .
So we can finish today's lesson after we learn about this formula and the way it is configured and used .