USED TO


Meaning of USED TO in English

used to S1 W2 /ˈjuːst tuː/ BrE AmE modal verb

1 . if something used to happen, it happened regularly or all the time in the past, but does not happen now:

He used to go to our school.

We’re eating out more often than we used to.

did not use to do something

You didn’t use to eat chips when you were younger.

used not to do something British English :

You used not to fuss like this.

never used to do something spoken :

It never used to bother me.

did somebody use to do something?

Did you use to go to church regularly?

2 . if a particular situation used to exist, it existed for a period of time in the past, but does not exist now:

Jimmy used to be a friend of mine.

There used to be a large car park on this site.

did not use to be/do something

Why are you so bad-tempered? You didn’t use to be like this.

did somebody/something use to be/do something?

Did this building use to be a hotel?

Where did you use to live before you came to Manchester?

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GRAMMAR

If you used to do something, you did it regularly or for a period of time in the past. Use the infinitive without 'to' after used to , not the past tense:

My dad used to grow vegetables (NOT used to grew vegetables).

For talking about a present habit, use usually :

We usually eat (NOT use to eat) around six.

► Do not confuse 'I used to do something' and 'I'm used to doing something'.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.