would / used to

Both are used to state things one did in the past. I'd say "would" (1.) is used for memories of the past, "used to" (2.) when you want to stress the fact that the present is different, that you don't do it anymore.

1. I remember when I was a kid... When I got home from school, my mother would welcome me with "Hi, big guy, how did you do today?"

2. I used to smoke 30 cigarettes a

I might not be right but I've always thought the difference is the kind of verb. I think you can use USED TO with all kind of verbs but you use WOULD with 'action verbs' only.

For example you can say:

I used to/would play football (both are possible)

I used to be a nurse (would is not possible here because be is not an action verb)

I u

Pieanne’s answer is excellent. And as Coachpotato pointed out, you cannot use “would” to describe past states and past actions that were done regularly.
When I was a kid, there used to [x would] be a candy store in my neighborhood.
When I was a kid, I used to [x

you cannot use “would” to describe (..) past actions that were done regularly.
When I was a kid, I used to [x would] go to church every Sunday.

Uhmm. Is that right? I'm not so sure...

Hello Anon

Do you think I was wrong? Maybe!

I just copied what my E-J dictionary describes about the difference in the usage between “used to” and “would”. But there is a possibility the dictionary is wrong in negating the use of “would” for regular past actions. I searched online and found [url=

Thanks, paco.