Past and present habits

Past habits

For past habits and states, we use  used to / didn't use to.

Used to does not exist in the present tense. 

NOT I use to get up at 8.00 during the week.

We use used to for things that were true over a period of time in the past. Used to often refers to something which is not true now.

I used to do a lot of sports. (= I did a lot of sport for a period of time in the past, but now I don't.)

We often use never used to instead of didn't use to.

Used to / didn't use to can be used with action verbs (e.g. go, do) and non-action verbs (e.g. be, have).

We can also use the past simple to describe past habits (often with an adverb of frequency).

We (often) went to France for our holidays when I was a child.

Present habits

For present habits, we use a verb in the present simple, often with an adverb of frequency, e.g. usually or normally.

used to or past simple?

We can use used to or the past simple (often with an adverb of frequency) for repeated actions or states and the meaning the same.

I used to live in Leeds as a child.

I lived in Leeds as a child.

We used to go to the cinema on Saturdays. We often went to the cinema on Saturdays.

But we have to use the past simple if:

• we mention exact dates or number of times.

• the action happened only once 

We went to the cinema on Saturday.

be used to and get used to

Don't confuse used to / didn't use to (do sth) with be used to or get used to (doing sth).

I am used to getting up early every day. (= I am accustomed to it - I always do it, so it is not a problem for me)

Lola can't get used to living in the UK. (= She can't get accustomed to it, it's a problem for her)

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