Mr. Maru: We've been together for a long time Sparky.

Sparky: Yes we have. I remember when I first came home from the pet store.

Mr. Maru: Yeah, you used to bark every night.

Sparky: I wouldn't used to bark.

Mr. Maru: Yeah, you did all the time. I used to have to sing you songs.

Sparky: You wouldn't sing me songs.

Mr. Maru: I did. I did. Don't you remember? Twinkle twinkle little star....

Sparky: Oh, all right. You would sing to me, but I didn't used to like it.

Mr. Maru: Didn't use to like it? Do you like it now?

Sparky: No, I still don't like it.

What's the difference between 'used to' and 'would' when used to talk about the past? These two words can be used to talk about past habits and conditions, but they are used differently.

How to use 'used to'

We use 'used to' to talk about past habits or states. We use 'used to' more often than 'would'. It is very common. For example,

I used to drink a lot of beer. Now, I drink vodka. (past habit) (I stopped drinking beer. Now I only drink vodka.)
I used to have a nice car, but I had to sell it. (past state) (I bought a nice car and had one, but now it is gone.)

When we use 'used to', there is a feeling that the habit is not continuing now. For example,

I used to go to the beach, but now I don't. ( I don't go to the beach anymore.)

How to use 'would'

We use 'would' to talk about past habits. We use 'would' less often than 'used to'. When you use would, you usually need a context or time period (when I was young, on weekends, etc...) For example,

I would walk my dog on weekends. ('On weekends' is the context.)
I would sometimes go to the store to buy baseball cards. ('Sometimes' is the context.)

'Used to' vs. 'Would'

We can use 'used to' to talk about past states but we can't used would:

O She used to hate English.
X She would hate English.

We usually use 'used to' to talk about important past habits.

O Sparky used to brush his teeth every night.
X Sparky would brush his teeth every night.

Are you ready for a quiz?

'Used to' and 'Would' Quiz

1) Jack _______ watch TV every night. I really loved TV, but now I don't have a TV at all.

A) used to

B) would

2) Sparky would ____________ . Now, he doesn't.

A) have parties on weekends.

B) have a beautiful collar.

C) have had parties.

3) Jenny used to ____________ , but now she does.

A) not like pizza.

B) eat lots of pizza.

C) making pizza.

Answers

1) A) - This is an important habit, so we usually use 'used to'.

2) A) - 'have' means to throw a party or hold a party.

3) A) - We need a negative (not like pizza) because the last part of the sentence is a positive (she does)

Corrected Dialog

Mr. Maru: We've been together for a long time Sparky.

Sparky: Yes we have. I remember when I first came home from the pet store.

Mr. Maru: Yeah, you used to bark every night.

Sparky: I wouldn't didn't used to bark.

Mr. Maru: Yeah, you did all the time. I used to have to sing you songs.

Sparky: You wouldn't didn't use to sing me songs.

Mr. Maru: I did. I did. Don't you remember? Twinkle twinkle little star....

Sparky: Oh, all right. You would used to sing to me, but I didn't used to like it.

Mr. Maru: Didn't use to like it? Do you like it now?

Sparky: No, I still don't like it.

Thanks for stopping by. If you have a Teacher Stumper, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We'd love to hear from you!

If you are a student looking for a teacher, you can request a private lesson with a teacher. It doesn't take long and it's free!

Or if you teach English in Japan, you can find more students by posting a listing. You can find more students and it's free!