Used to: a past habit that has changed
Used to + verb describes something that happened again and again, or was true for a long time, but is not true now. It has no present form: for habits now, use the present simple.
The forms (the verb after used to stays in its base form):
- Positive: “I used to watch cartoons in English.”
- Negative: “I didn’t use to understand much.”
- Question: “Did you use to read comics?” “Yes, I did.” / “No, I didn’t.”
- States too: “I used to be shy.”
- Pronunciation: say used to as one quick word, /ˈjuːstə/, with an s sound, not a z.
Habit, action in progress, finished action
A story about your past often needs three tenses: used to for the habit, the past continuous (was / were + -ing) for an action in progress, and the past simple for a finished action, which can interrupt it after when.
Listen to a grandmother telling her grandson how she learned English. Notice used to learn (habit), was singing (in progress) and knocked (interruption), then a did question and a didn’t negative:
Grandmother I grew up in Mexico City, and I didn't speak much English then. When I first moved to Kingsbay, I used to learn English from song lyrics.
Grandmother One evening I was singing in my kitchen when my neighbour knocked on the door.
Grandson Did you use to sing in Mexico too?
Grandmother No, I didn't use to sing in front of people at all. Now I sing with her choir every week!
Write a 40–50-word then-and-now paragraph
It isn’t an exam task, but it trains what a Writing Part 2 story or article needs: a clear beginning, change and end. Plan four parts: When I was …, I used to …; I didn’t use to …; Later I … (past simple); Now I … (present simple).
Our model has 43 words. Write about your own past.
- “When I was nine, I used to learn English from video games.” → then: a habit with used to
- “I didn’t use to speak much because I was shy.” → a negative with a reason
- “Later my cousin in Canada started sending me funny voice messages.” → the change, in the past simple
- “Now I reply in English, and we chat every weekend.” → now, in the present simple
Words for talking about learning
Notice the small word after each feeling adjective:
- revise, repeat, translate: “I used to revise new words on the bus.”
- afraid of, good at: “I used to be afraid of speaking. Now I’m good at it.”
- interested in, proud of: “Now I’m proud of my accent.”
Speaking Part 1: answers about when you were younger
In B1 Preliminary Speaking Part 1, the examiner asks about you, and some questions can be about your past. Say then, now, and a reason or an example. The first question has a model answer:
- “What did you use to do after school when you were younger?” → “I used to play football in the park every day. Now I have more homework, so I only play on Saturdays.”
- “How did you use to learn English at first?”
- “How is your life different now from when you were eight?”
Typical mistakes and how to fix them
Check your work for these (mistake on the left, fix on the right):
- “I didn’t used to like reading.” → “I didn’t use to like reading.”
- “I use to play football on Saturdays.” → “I usually play football on Saturdays.”
- “I used to visit London twice.” → “I visited London twice.” Used to doesn’t count times.
- “I’m used to watch cartoons.” → “I used to watch cartoons.” “I’m used to + -ing” means something feels normal now.
- “I was singing when she was knocking.” → “I was singing when she knocked.”
A 15-minute practice routine
Three times a week is enough. One round:
- 3 minutes: note two past habits, a change and something you do now.
- 5 minutes: write the paragraph in 40–50 words.
- 3 minutes: check use (not used) after did, and the present simple after Now.
- 4 minutes: answer one speaking question aloud and record it.
Your next step
When this feels easy, move on to the 100-word email in Writing Part 1 and a host profile for a visiting student (links below).