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Ask for help > The difference between would and used to
The difference between would and used to
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KHAWLA ALZIOD
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The difference between would and used to
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I faced a problem that my student did not understand the difference between would and used to .I studied a lot ,but I dont know why it was so confusing for them . |
8 Nov 2009
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anitarobi
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Would is a bit tricky, because you use it in conditionals for future reference: e. g. If I earn enough money, I would like to travel around the world; but you also use it in the future-in-the-past when reporting speech in the past:
e. g. Peter said: �I will be there tomorrow. �
reported as: Peter said that he would be there the next day.
You can also sometimes use it for a past action, e. g. When I was little, I would sometimes sneak into my grandpa �s attic and read old comics.
In this respect, it is sort of similar to used to which is regularly used for habitual past actions (which you don �t do any more), e.g. I used to travel a lot, but now that I am building a house, I don �t travel as much any more. This usage can sometimes be confusing for students, though I never had problems with used to - once they figured it out, they practically preferred it to any other form for past habits.
Perhaps this helps a bit, and perhaps somebody else will have a concrete example from class. It also depends on how old your sts are - sometimes, if they don �t have a clear grasp of tenses in their mother tongue, it is very difficult for English tenses to settle down in their repertoire.
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8 Nov 2009
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Sara26
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Hi,
Would is a modal verb used to say what might happen if something else happens. Ex: �What would you do if you lost your job? �
Used to is also a modal verb: if something used to happen or a situation used to exist , it happened or existed in the past but it does not happen or exist now. Ex: "I used to go out every night when I was a student."
Hope it helps.
Hugs |
8 Nov 2009
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arkel
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I think you mean �would � and �used to � with reference to the past. You can always use �used to � when referring to a past habitual action or state, but you can only use �would � for a habitual action, never a state or something more permanent.
Ex: I used to live in Madrid. Here, because it �s permanent we can never use �would �.
I used to be single, but I got married last year. Here it �s a state and so can �t be expressed with �would �.
I used to go to the cinema one a week with my friends. Here, as it �s a repeated action we can substitute �used to � with �would �. I would go to the cinema with my friends.
Hope this helps.  Rosemary |
8 Nov 2009
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elderberrywine
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exactly, arkel. "would" implies habit - used to implies a state
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8 Nov 2009
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HARIM
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Hi Khawla.Hi everyone!I �m back again,
When talking about past habits and repeated actions in the past,both used to and would can be used to mean the same thing;but unlike �used to �, �would � can �t be used before state verbs:
When I was younger,I used to like coffee .When I was younger,I would like coffee.
Hope it �s clear
Cheers |
8 Nov 2009
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arkel
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Hi Harim, you �re right in theory, but �like � is a state verb and �would could not be used in this example. |
8 Nov 2009
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