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Hhtt Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

Used to v. would

I cannot understand the difference between "used to" and "would". Even their definitions seem to me the same. First I would like to compare their definitions from the source I use. First of all "would" and "used to" defined as "the past habitual tenses" in the source.

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

Would: "Would" is used to talk about something that happened regularly in the past, but no longer happens.

I do not see a big difference between this definitions. What is the difference between them? "Past habits" are in the definition of "used to" "something that happened regularly in the past" is in that of "would" but "past habits" are also "something that happened regularly in the past."


Thank you.

  

Top answer

hhtt Used to: We use "used + infinitive" to talk about past habits and states which are now finished. The real difference is that we can't use 'would' for past states. I used to be a doctor.

— Persian Learner

  • hhtt Used to: We use "used + infinitive" to talk about past habits and states which are now finished.
  • The real difference is that we can't use 'would' for past states.
  • I used to be a doctor.
  • I would be a doctor.
  • Otherwise, they are interchangeable.
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3 Answers
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hhttUsed to: We use "used + infinitive" to talk about past habits and states which are now finished.

The real difference is that we can't use 'would' for past states.

I used to be a doctor.

I would be a doctor.

Otherwise, they are interchangeable.

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hhttI cannot understand the difference between "used to" and "would".

In some cases, there is no difference.

When I was a child we used to have lunch at Grandmother's house every Sunday.
When I was a child we would have lunch at Grandmother's house every Sunday.
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Their broad definitions are not the same at all, far from it in fact. There are major differences in both meaning and grammar; not the least of which is that “would” is a modal auxiliary verb with a number of different uses, while this “use” is an aspectual verb, either lexical or auxiliary, but never modal.

"Would" is used: to express past time meaning (e.g. I asked him to help me

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