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  • Hey guys, it's Shane from English Understood here.

  • I would do homework every day but I don't do it anymore.

  • What am I talking about here? The past, the present or the future?

  • I am talking about the past.

  • 'Huh!? But Shane, "would" is used to talk about the future, right?'

  • Yes we do use 'would' to talk about the future, but we can also use it to talk about the past.

  • This sentence 'I would do my homework every day' is talking about the past.

  • Was it a habit? Was it a routine? Something that I did very often?

  • Yes it was.

  • Do I do homework anymore?

  • No.

  • So this is the meaning of 'would do my homework every day'.

  • It's finished now but it was something that I did as a habit in the past.

  • But I don't do it anymore. It's finished now.

  • Another example.

  • When I was a child, I would go to the park with my family every Sunday.

  • What am I talking about? Past, present or future?

  • The past.

  • Is it something that I did very often?

  • Yes it was.

  • Do I do it anymore?

  • No I don't.

  • So just remember, when we use 'would' to talk about past habits, normally we use it with a present tense verb.

  • I would eat.

  • I would run.

  • I would go.

  • We normally don't use the verb 'to be' with 'would' when we're talking about the past.

  • And to make it really clear that you are talking about the past, it's always best to give more information.

  • For example, 'When I was a child, I would'.

  • When I was at high school, I would.

  • When I was at university, I would.

Hey guys, it's Shane from English Understood here.

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