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  • Hey, I have a question for you.

  • Um Hi, hi board, how's it going?

  • Um This is a very curious thing that that I've been thinking about as a native speaker of english and I want to know what you think.

  • Um we have two ways to talk about our past, Well probably more than two, but let's not get into that.

  • Um the two phrases that we use a lot in english are used to and we use wood.

  • So for example, I can say, oh you know what?

  • Um I used to drink Guinness every saturday or I can say I would drink Guinness every saturday and I was thinking what's the difference when I would say used to or would now another reason why this is difficult is because when I would say this normally or quickly, I wouldn't say used to, I would say use to, so when you hear native people speaking, you're gonna hear them say you stop.

  • Oh, I used to do that.

  • I used to play football, I used to do this, I used to, I used to use that and what is you stop?

  • You stop is used to, okay, we use this to talk about our past habits, but it's super important to understand that we don't do them now.

  • And would we're going to use for repeated actions or routines.

  • But again, both of these are in the past um used to or use to is also going to have a time period.

  • So we're going to know exactly that the action has stopped.

  • So let's look at these two sentences.

  • If I say in a very natural way, I'd say we used to go to the sea or the ocean when I was young.

  • If I compare this to uh, we would go to the sea every summer.

  • When you look at this, you think, do you know what they're talking about the past?

  • I don't really see a big difference and you're right, it isn't a huge difference, but there's a definite difference.

  • Um, when we speak english quickly, we don't say we would, we say we'd we'd yeah, we'd, oh, we go to the sea every summer.

  • We would, so we say we, oh, when I was a kid, we go to the sea every summer.

  • So let's look at the difference.

  • We used to go to the sea when I was young.

  • This tells me that I'm not young anymore and because I'm not young, my time period, I finished doing the action.

  • But if I said the sentence, like we would go to the sea every summer time.

  • It's like I'm reminiscing or I'm telling you a story about what I did in the past as a repeated action or a routine.

  • Maybe every summer your family would jump in the car and go on a road trip.

  • Oh, you know what?

  • We would drive for hours and then go nowhere because dad got lost all the time.

  • Um but if I say like, oh, we used to go on road trips, it has the connotation, which means the meaning the hidden meaning that you don't do that anymore.

  • But if I say we would go to the sea every summer, I don't know if you still do that or not, So remember it like this used to, it means you did something in the past, you don't do it anymore.

  • And would you just talking about repeated actions and routines and we're not sure if you do it anymore, it's not important.

  • What's important is that you did do it and you're telling me about it.

  • Okay.

  • Um I used to, okay, that's how we say it quickly.

  • Used to, I used to smoke, but I don't now because I use use stuff.

  • If I said I would smoke or I'd smoke at the cottage.

  • This is something that I would do as a routine and you don't know if I still do that.

  • Mhm.

  • You have no idea.

  • Let's look at these two examples.

  • What do you think would be the best words to fill in?

  • So we can say she used to eat meat or she would eat meat.

  • Probably the answer is going to be used to.

  • So she used to eat meat.

  • It's telling me that she did it and now she doesn't, maybe she's a vegetarian or vegan now whatever this one he drive 100 K every day.

  • I wanted to say drove.

  • But do you think we would say he used to drive 100 kilometers every day or he would drive 100 kilometers every day because we have the word every day.

  • We're talking about a routine.

  • So it's more natural to say he would drive or he'd, oh yeah, he drive 100 k every day.

  • Now.

  • We don't know Is he driving 100K.

  • It's not important.

  • Maybe he doesn't even have a car, but it's not important.

  • What's important is that we don't know, we know we did this as a routine, but if I say he used to drive means he's not doing it anymore.

  • So this is something for more advanced english thinkers or english learners the next time you're listening to people in a conversation when they use wood or used to pay attention to figure out if what they're talking about is as a routine.

  • So you can use wood or if it's something that they did in the past, but don't do anymore.

  • And what about you?

  • What are some things that you used to do?

  • Maybe when you lived in another country or when you were younger and what are some things that you would do as a routine when you were younger in the past?

  • Oh, I would go on my bike for hours ride around.

  • It was great.

  • Well, I'm out of here.

  • It's nice talking to you.

Hey, I have a question for you.

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A2 sea routine drive summer anymore eat meat

“I used to…” & “I would…”: Talking about the past in English

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    林宜悉 posted on 2022/08/15
Video vocabulary

Keywords

stuff

US /stʌf/

UK /stʌf/

  • noun
  • Generic description for things, materials, objects
  • verb
  • To push material inside something, with force
figure

US /ˈfɪɡjɚ/

UK /ˈfiɡə/

  • verb
  • To appear in a game, play or event
  • To calculate how much something will cost
  • To understand or solve something.
  • To understand after thinking; work out
  • other
  • To consider, believe, or conclude.
  • To calculate or work out (a sum or amount).
  • noun
  • Your body shape
  • Numbers in a calculation
  • A diagram or illustrative drawing in a book or magazine.
  • Doll-like thing meant to represent a person
  • Picture or diagram giving information in a text
  • Person who is very important or famous
  • A set pattern of movements in ice skating.
  • Shape of a person seen indistinctly or in outline
  • Amount that is expressed in numbers
  • A person, especially one who is important or well-known.
  • A numerical amount or value expressed in numbers.
  • A statue or other representation of a person or animal.
  • An outline or shape, especially of a person or animal.
  • other
  • To conclude or expect; think.
period

US /ˈpɪriəd/

UK /ˈpɪəriəd/

  • noun
  • Set amount of time during which events take place
  • A way to emphasize what you will say
  • A full stop (.), marking the end of a sentence
  • A menstrual cycle
  • A set time for a class to be held
routine

US /ruˈtin/

UK /ru:ˈti:n/

  • adjective
  • Happening or done regularly or habitually
  • Always the same; boring through lack of variety
  • Performed as part of a regular procedure rather than for a special reason.
  • Performed as part of a regular procedure rather than for a special reason.
  • Lacking excitement; ordinary or uninspired.
  • noun
  • Regular or habitual way of behaving or doing
  • A lack of excitement; a predictable and uninteresting course of events.
  • A sequence of instructions in a computer program that performs a specific task.
  • A sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program.
  • A sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program.
  • Series of actions that make up a performance
  • A set of established procedures, often in a specific context.
  • A set of actions, often traditional or regularly followed.
  • A sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program.
native

US /ˈnetɪv/

UK /ˈneɪtɪv/

  • noun
  • Someone from or born in a specific country
  • Original inhabitant, e.g. before others
  • Person speaking a language from birth
  • adjective
  • Caused by natural ability; innate
conversation

US /ˌkɑnvɚˈseʃən/

UK /ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃn/

  • other
  • A series of related interactions between a user and a computer system.
  • A formal meeting for discussion.
  • A discussion between two or more people.
  • other
  • A session of communication with a chatbot or AI.
  • Informal talk involving a relatively small number of people.
  • General communication or interaction.
  • Skill in talking to others.
  • noun
  • Talking with other people; discussion or chat
curious

US /ˈkjʊriəs/

UK /ˈkjʊəriəs/

  • adjective
  • Wanting to know more about something
  • Attracting interest by being strange or unusual
sentence

US /ˈsɛntəns/

UK /'sentəns/

  • noun
  • Official punishment given by a court of law
  • Set of words that make a whole statement
  • verb
  • (Of a judge) to decide the punishment of
mean

US /min/

UK /mi:n/

  • adjective
  • Calculated as the average of a set of numbers.
  • Being good at
  • Of poor or low quality; inferior.
  • Poor in quality and appearance; shabby.
  • Nasty; unkind
  • Not liking to spend money; cheap; stingy
  • Unkind, spiteful, or unfair.
  • Reluctant to give or share; not generous.
  • noun
  • Average of a set of numbers
  • A method, course of action, or instrument by which something can be accomplished.
  • verb
  • To express a particular idea or thought
  • To intend to convey or refer to (a particular thing); signify.
  • To intend to do something in particular
  • To have a particular meaning or value
  • other
  • To have importance.
  • To intend (to do something).
  • other
  • To intend to convey, indicate, or refer to (a particular thing or notion); signify.
  • To express, represent, or stand for something.
attention

US /əˈtɛnʃən/

UK /əˈtenʃn/

  • noun
  • Taking notice of someone or something
  • (Soldiers) Standing with straight backs