substitute for "used to"

Question

please suggest a substitute for "used to"
i used to play this on my uncle's pc.
can i use "had been" instead of "used to"
i had been playing this on my uncle's pc
or
i had been playing this on my uncle's pc for a while.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

MIGPlease suggest a substitute for "used to".

Hmm. That's an odd request. Why would you want a substitute? Every substitute I can think of is worse than the original "used to".

I was in the habit of playing this on my uncle's PC. (Same meaning, but not a very idiomatic English sentence.)

If you have the right set-up with a phrase that suggests a period in the past, you can use "would" as a substitute, but without that kind of phrase "would" doesn't make as much sense.

When I lived near my uncle's home, I [used to / would] play this on his PC.
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You cannot use 'had been'. No, no, no! That's a different meaning.

CJ

MIG · Answer

Thank you CalifJim , for your detailed answer.

i learnt(or learned) three things from your comment.
1.i can use "in habit of" instead of "used to".
2-i can use "would" to express a habitual action if i have a phrase that suggests a period in the past.
3-i need to learn more,about "Past perfect continuous" tense.

Why would you want a substitute?
Just curious.

Thank you again.

substitute for "used to"

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