Used to Practice Tests with A2 Grammar Rules & Examples

Used To: Talking About the Past

Do you want to talk about things that happened regularly in the past but do not happen now? In English, we use used to to do this. Used to is a very useful expression for A2 learners because it helps you describe old habits, old situations, and things that have changed in your life.

Look at these simple examples:

• I used to live in a small village. (But now I live in a city.)
• She used to have long hair. (But now her hair is short.)
• We used to play football every Saturday. (But we do not play now.)

Used to always talks about the past. It tells us something was true or happened regularly before, but it is different now.

A Simple Story to Understand Used To

Meet Tom. Tom is 30 years old now. His life is very different from his childhood.

"When I was a child, I used to eat sweets every day. I used to watch cartoons on TV. I used to go to bed at 8 o'clock. But now I don't do those things."

Tom uses used to because these were regular habits in the past. They are finished now. This is exactly what used to is for.

How to Form Used To

The structure of used to is simple. It does not change for different people (subjects). Look at the pattern:

Subject + used to + verb (base form)

I used to play tennis.
You used to walk to school.
He / She / It used to work in a shop.
We used to live near the sea.
They used to have a dog.

Notice that used to is the same for every person. You do not need to change it. After used to, always use the base form of the verb (the simple, dictionary form — for example: play, walk, eat, have, live).

Positive (Affirmative) Sentences

Subject	Used to	Verb (base form)	Full Example
I	used to	play	I used to play the piano.
You	used to	live	You used to live in London.
He	used to	work	He used to work in a café.
She	used to	have	She used to have a cat.
It	used to	be	It used to be a school.
We	used to	eat	We used to eat together every night.
They	used to	travel	They used to travel a lot.

Negative Sentences with Used To

To make a negative sentence with used to, we add did not (or the short form didn't) before use to.

Important: In negative sentences, we write use to (without the letter d at the end), NOT used to. This is because did already shows the past tense.

Subject + didn't + use to + verb (base form)

Subject	Didn't use to	Verb (base form)	Full Example
I	didn't use to	like	I didn't use to like vegetables.
You	didn't use to	drive	You didn't use to drive to work.
He	didn't use to	cook	He didn't use to cook at home.
She	didn't use to	wear	She didn't use to wear glasses.
We	didn't use to	go	We didn't use to go to the gym.
They	didn't use to	have	They didn't use to have a car.

More Negative Examples

• I didn't use to enjoy reading, but now I love it.
• She didn't use to speak English very well.
• They didn't use to live in this neighbourhood.

Questions with Used To

To ask a question with used to, we use Did at the beginning of the sentence. Again, we write use to (without the d).

Did + subject + use to + verb (base form)?

Question	Short Answer (Yes)	Short Answer (No)
Did you use to live here?	Yes, I did.	No, I didn't.
Did he use to play football?	Yes, he did.	No, he didn't.
Did she use to work there?	Yes, she did.	No, she didn't.
Did they use to have a dog?	Yes, they did.	No, they didn't.
Did we use to go to the same school?	Yes, we did.	No, we didn't.

Wh- Questions with Used To

You can also use question words like where, what, who, when, how with used to:

Question word + did + subject + use to + verb?

• Where did you use to live?
• What did she use to do at the weekends?
• Who did they use to play with?
• How did he use to get to school?

What Used To Means: Past Habits and Past States

Used to is for two types of things in the past:

1. Past Habits (Things you did regularly)

A habit is something you do again and again. Used to shows that a habit happened regularly in the past but stopped.

• I used to go swimming every morning. (This was my regular routine in the past.)
• He used to smoke. (He smoked regularly before. He does not smoke now.)
• They used to visit their grandmother every Sunday.

2. Past States (Situations that were true in the past)

A state is a situation or condition, not an action. For example: living somewhere, being a certain age, having something.

• She used to be very shy. (This was her personality before. She is different now.)
• We used to live in a flat. (This was our home before. We live somewhere else now.)
• This building used to be a hotel. (Its situation was different in the past.)

Important Differences: Used To vs. The Simple Past

Both used to and the simple past talk about the past. But they are a little different.

	Used To	Simple Past
Repeated actions or habits in the past	✅ Yes — I used to play tennis.	✅ Yes — I played tennis every week.
A single action that happened once	❌ No — cannot use this here	✅ Yes — I played tennis yesterday.
Shows the situation has changed now	✅ Yes — clearly shows a change	Not always clear
Needs a time expression (e.g. yesterday)	❌ No — not needed	Often uses one (e.g. last year, in 2010)

For example:

• I used to eat a lot of fast food. ✅ (This was a regular habit. It has changed.)
• I ate a burger yesterday. ✅ (This happened once, at a specific time.)
• I used to eat a burger yesterday. ❌ (Wrong! You cannot use used to for one specific event.)

Important Differences: Used To vs. Usually

Usually talks about habits in the present. Used to talks about habits in the past.

• I usually wake up at 7 o'clock. (This is my habit now.)
• I used to wake up at 6 o'clock. (This was my habit before, but not now.)

Common Mistakes with Used To

Here are some mistakes that learners often make. Read each one carefully.

❌ I use to play football when I was young.
✅ I used to play football when I was young.
(In positive sentences, always write "used to" — with the letter d.)

❌ She didn't used to like coffee.
✅ She didn't use to like coffee.
(After "didn't", write "use to" — without the d.)

❌ Did he used to work there?
✅ Did he use to work there?
(After "Did", write "use to" — without the d.)

❌ I used to went to school by bus.
✅ I used to go to school by bus.
(After "used to", always use the base form of the verb — not the past tense form.)

❌ I used to eat a pizza last night.
✅ I ate a pizza last night.
(Do not use "used to" for something that happened once at a specific time. Use the simple past instead.)

❌ Do you use to play tennis?
✅ Did you use to play tennis?
(Always use "did" — not "do" — to make questions with used to.)

Positive, Negative, and Question Forms: Full Summary Table

Form	Structure	Example
Positive	Subject + used to + verb	I used to ride a bike.
Negative	Subject + didn't use to + verb	I didn't use to ride a bike.
Question	Did + subject + use to + verb?	Did you use to ride a bike?
Short answer (yes)	Yes, + subject + did.	Yes, I did.
Short answer (no)	No, + subject + didn't.	No, I didn't.

Used To: Quick Summary

• Use used to to talk about past habits and past situations that have changed.
• In positive sentences: Subject + used to + verb (base form). Example: She used to live in Paris.
• In negative sentences: Subject + didn't use to + verb (base form). Example: She didn't use to like coffee.
• In questions: Did + subject + use to + verb (base form)? Example: Did she use to work here?
• After didn't and Did, write use to — without the letter d at the end.
• After used to, always use the base form of the verb (e.g. play, not played).
• Do not use used to for something that happened only once at a specific time. Use the simple past instead.

Now practise used to in the exercises below.