Past Simple, Past Continuous & Used to (B1)
A free CEFR B1 grammar lesson from Virtuous English Academy · 4 key rules · 10-question check · 60 exercises
This lesson sharpens your storytelling: the past simple for finished actions, the past continuous for the background, and used to for past habits that are no longer true. Together they let you narrate the past naturally.
How to form Past Tenses and Used To
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Past simple | completed action at a stated time | I moved to Berlin in 2019. |
| Past continuous | action in progress around a past moment | I was living in Berlin at the time. |
| Past perfect | action completed before another past action | I had lived there before I moved to Vienna. |
| used to + base verb | past habit or state, now finished | I used to live in Berlin. |
| would + base verb | repeated past action only, not states | We would meet every Friday. |
| Negative of used to | didn't use to (no d) | I didn't use to like coffee. |
Past Tenses and Used To explained
The B1 past tense system has four parts: the past simple, the past continuous, the past perfect and used to. The past simple is for completed events, and the past continuous for actions in progress. The past perfect is for what happened earlier still, and used to for habits that no longer exist. Choosing correctly between them is what allows you to tell a story with a clear sequence rather than a flat list.
Used to is the addition most learners find genuinely new. It describes a past habit or state that has now stopped: I used to smoke means you no longer do. It has no present form at all, and it exists only in the past, which makes it unusual among English structures.
Would can also express past habits, but with a restriction worth knowing: it works only for repeated actions, never for states. I would walk to school every day is fine, but I would live in Rome is wrong — for a past state you must use used to or the past simple.
Past Tenses and Used To: the key rules
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Narratives layer three tools: past simple for the chain of events, past continuous for the scene, used to for lost habits.
I used to live by the sea. One evening I was walking on the beach when I found a message in a bottle.
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Used to + base verb marks past habits and states that are no longer true.
She used to smoke. There used to be a cinema here.
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Negatives and questions drop the -d: didn't use to, Did you use to…?
I didn't use to like olives. Did you use to play an instrument?
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Would can replace used to for repeated actions — but not for states.
Every summer we would swim until sunset. (✓ action) — but only: We used to own a boat. (state)
When to use Past Tenses and Used To
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Contrasting past and present
Used to is the natural way to show that something has changed.
I used to work nights, but now I have normal hours.
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Ordering events in a narrative
The past perfect makes it clear which event happened first.
When I arrived, they had already left.
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Setting a scene before the action
The past continuous provides background that the past simple then interrupts.
It was raining hard when the power went out.
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Describing childhood and old routines
Used to and would together create a natural reminiscing tone.
We used to live by the sea. Every summer we would swim before breakfast.
used to vs. would
Used to works for past actions and states, and would works for repeated actions only. That restriction catches out most learners.
used to — actions and states
Works for everything: repeated actions and permanent past situations alike.
I used to play tennis. I used to have long hair. She used to be a teacher.
would — repeated actions only
Fine for things you did regularly, impossible for states of being or having.
I would play tennis every Sunday. But not: I would have long hair.
Past Tenses and Used To in example sentences
- I used to cycle everywhere before I got the car.A past habit that has stopped.
- She didn't use to enjoy classical music.Negative drops the -d: didn't use to.
- Did you use to live near here?Question form also drops the -d.
- We would spend every August at my grandmother's.would for a repeated past action.
- The train had already gone when we arrived.Past perfect for the earlier of two past events.
- I was reading when the phone rang.Continuous background, simple interruption.
- He used to be much quieter.used to with a state — would is impossible here.
- I'm used to getting up early now.A different structure entirely — be used to + -ing means accustomed.
Past Tenses and Used To in a real conversation
In this conversation, the past perfect signals that one event came before another.
Ana:Did you use to work in publishing?
Karl:For years. I used to edit travel guides.
Ana:Why did you leave?
Karl:The company had already closed two offices before they made me redundant.
Ana:That sounds difficult.
Karl:It was. But I'm used to freelancing now, and I wouldn't go back.
Common mistakes (and how to fix them)
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I use to play football when I was young.
I used to play football when I was young.
The affirmative needs the -d; use to alone only survives after did/didn't.
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We would have a small house in the mountains.
We used to have a small house in the mountains.
Would for past habits works only with actions — states like have require used to.
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When I entered, they discussed my project.
When I entered, they were discussing my project.
The discussion was already in progress at the moment of entry — that background needs the continuous.
Check yourself: 10 Past Tenses and Used To questions
The check has 10 questions: 6 multiple choice and 4 fill in the blank. They are 10 of the 60 exercises in the full Past Tenses and Used To practice set. Each answer shows the reason for it.
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While I ___ dinner, the doorbell rang.
- cooked
- had cooked
- was cooking
- cook
Show answer
was cooking — The past continuous provides the longer background action that a past simple event interrupts.
-
The sun ___ when we finally reached the summit.
- had set
- sets
- set
- was setting
Show answer
was setting — The past continuous paints the scene in progress at the moment of arrival.
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Which of these cannot be rewritten with would?
- We used to own a caravan.
- We used to walk to school.
- We used to visit them every Easter.
- We used to play cards on Sundays.
Show answer
We used to own a caravan. — Would works for repeated actions but not for states such as owning something.
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'She was living in Rome' rather than 'she lived in Rome' suggests the stay was ___.
- unpleasant
- temporary
- recent
- permanent
Show answer
temporary — The continuous marks a limited or temporary period, exactly as it does in the present.
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What ___ you doing at ten o'clock last night?
- did
- have
- were
- had
Show answer
were — A question about an action in progress at a stated past time takes the past continuous.
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The children ___ quietly while their mother worked.
- played
- had played
- play
- were playing
Show answer
were playing — Two simultaneous background actions in the past both take the continuous.
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I ___ reading when the lights suddenly went out.
Show answer
was — The past continuous gives the longer action that a sudden event interrupts.
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What ___ you doing when I called yesterday?
Show answer
were — A past action in progress at a specific moment takes the past continuous.
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While my parents ___ arguing, I quietly left the room.
Show answer
were — The past continuous describes the ongoing situation the speaker escaped.
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They ___ been driving for six hours when the engine failed.
Show answer
had — The past perfect continuous measures how long an activity had lasted before a past event.
Practise Past Tenses and Used To today
The used to family is where the marks are — practise all three of its forms.
- Write six sentences contrasting your life five years ago with now, using used to.
- Write three negatives and three questions with didn't use to and Did you use to.
- Rewrite three used to sentences with would, and mark the one that does not work.
- Write a four-sentence story that uses the past perfect at least twice.
Past Tenses and Used To: frequently asked questions
Why is it didn't use to and not didn't used to?
The correct form is didn't use to, because did already carries the past tense. The main verb returns to its base form, exactly as with any other verb. The base form is use to, without the -d. You will see didn't used to written frequently, including by native speakers, because the two are pronounced identically. In exams and formal writing, didn't use to is the correct form.
What is the difference between used to and be used to?
They are completely different structures despite looking similar. Used to + base verb describes a finished past habit: I used to drive to work. Be used to + noun or -ing means accustomed to, and it describes a present state: I'm used to driving on the left. The second can appear in any tense — I'm getting used to it, She wasn't used to the cold — while the first exists only in the past.
When do I actually need the past perfect?
You need the past perfect only when the order of two past events would otherwise be unclear. It is also used when you want to stress that one preceded the other. If a sequence is already obvious from the order of the clauses or from words like first, then and after, the past simple is perfectly acceptable. Overusing the past perfect makes writing heavy, which is why native speakers use it more sparingly than textbooks suggest.
Can I use would for past states?
No, and this is the main restriction to remember. Would works only for repeated actions: We would go swimming every morning. For past states — being, having, knowing, living, liking — you need used to or the past simple: She used to have a motorbike, never She would have a motorbike in that meaning. When in doubt, used to is always safe.
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“Past Simple, Past Continuous & Used to (B1)” is a free CEFR B1 grammar lesson from Virtuous English Academy: 4 key rules with examples, 3 common mistakes corrected, a 10-question check marked as you answer and a separate set of 60 exercises. No account is needed.
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Virtuous English Academy. “Past Simple, Past Continuous & Used to (B1).” Updated November 6, 2026. https://virtuousenglishacademy.com/grammar/b1/past-tenses-and-used-to