used to y el Past Simple se usan para hablar del pasado, pero used to es especial para hábitos y estados que ya no son verdad. Aquí verás cómo diferenciarlos.
1) Mapa rápido
Idea clave:
• Used to = antes sí, ahora no. ➜ I used to smoke. (Fumaba antes, ahora no.)
• Past Simple = solo dice que ocurrió en el pasado, sin comparar con ahora.
2) Forma de used to
Used to solo se usa en pasado. La forma es igual para todas las personas:
| Tipo | Estructura | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Afirmativa | Sujeto + used to + base verb | I used to play tennis. She used to live in London. |
| Negativa | Sujeto + didn’t use to + base verb (también: never used to + base verb) | I didn’t use to like coffee. He never used to eat vegetables. |
| Pregunta | Did + sujeto + use to + base verb…? | Did you use to play video games? Did they use to live near here? |
En negativa y pregunta se escribe use (sin -d) porque ya está el pasado en did/didn’t.
3) Usos principales de used to
A) Hábitos en el pasado que ya no son verdad
- I used to play football every day. (ya no juego todos los días)
- We used to go to the beach every summer.
- She used to watch a lot of TV.
B) Estados/situaciones del pasado que han cambiado
- He used to be very shy. (ya no lo es)
- They used to live in a small town. (ahora viven en otro lugar)
- I used to have long hair.
Siempre hay una idea de cambio: antes sí, ahora no.
4) Used to vs Past Simple
| Situación | Used to | Past Simple |
|---|---|---|
| Hábito repetido en el pasado que ha cambiado | I used to walk to school. (Era mi costumbre, ahora ya no.) | I walked to school yesterday. (Hecho una vez, momento concreto.) |
| Rutina pasada vs evento puntual | We used to go to that restaurant every Friday. | We went to that restaurant last Friday. |
| Estado pasado | She used to be a teacher. (Ahora tiene otro trabajo.) | She was a teacher in 2015. (Solo un dato del pasado; no se dice si cambió o no.) |
En muchos casos puedes usar solo Past Simple, pero used to hace más claro que era un hábito/estado repetido que ya cambió.
5) Pronunciación y detalles importantes
• used to se pronuncia /ˈjuːst tə/ (suena casi como “yusta”).
• En habla rápida, Did you use to…? suena como “Diju yusta…?”.
No uses “used to” para:
- Hábitos actuales → usa Present Simple (I usually go…).
- Acciones únicas → mejor Past Simple (I went there once.).
6) Errores comunes
| Incorrecto | Correcto | Por qué |
|---|---|---|
| *I use to play tennis when I was a child.* | I used to play tennis when I was a child. | En pasado afirmativo debe llevar used (con -d). |
| *I didn’t used to like coffee.* | I didn’t use to like coffee. | Con didn’t va la forma base: use, no “used”. |
| *Did you used to live here?* | Did you use to live here? | En pregunta con Did, otra vez va use sin -d. |
| *I used to go to the cinema yesterday.* | I went to the cinema yesterday. | Used to no se usa con tiempo concreto (“yesterday”). Es hábito, no evento único. |
| *I used to go to school every day now.* | I go to school every day now. | Used to es solo pasado; para ahora, Present Simple. |
7) Mini-práctica
- Completa con used to + verbo adecuado:
a) When I was a child, I ______ ______ (play) outside all day.
b) My grandparents ______ ______ (live) in a small village.
c) She ______ ______ (be) very shy, but now she’s more confident.
d) We ______ ______ (go) to the same restaurant every Sunday. - Elige used to o Past Simple según el contexto:
a) I ______ (used to go / went) to that school. I studied there for six years, but now I’m in another one.
b) I ______ (used to go / went) to that school yesterday to visit my old teachers.
c) We ______ (used to have / had) a dog, but it died last year.
d) We ______ (used to go / went) to the beach last weekend. It was great. - Escribe las frases en negativa usando didn’t use to:
a) I used to like spicy food. → ________________________________.
b) She used to get up early. → ________________________________.
c) They used to watch TV every night. → ________________________________. - Corrige si es necesario:
a) Did you used to play any sports?
b) I didn’t used to drink coffee.
c) We used to go to the cinema yesterday.
d) I use to have long hair. - Traduce al inglés usando used to cuando sea posible:
a) Antes vivíamos en un departamento pequeño.
b) ¿Solías jugar videojuegos de niño?
c) No solía estudiar inglés.
d) Ella antes era muy tímida.
Respuestas ejemplo:
1) a) used to play b) used to live c) used to be d) used to go
2) a) used to go (hábito que cambió) b) went (visita específica, ayer) c) used to have (ya no lo tenemos) d) went (un fin de semana concreto)
3) a) I didn’t use to like spicy food.
b) She didn’t use to get up early.
c) They didn’t use to watch TV every night.
4) a) Did you use to play any sports?
b) I didn’t use to drink coffee.
c) We went to the cinema yesterday. / We used to go to the cinema every weekend. (según significado)
d) I used to have long hair.
5) a) We used to live in a small flat/apartment.
b) Did you use to play video games when you were a child?
c) I didn’t use to study English.
d) She used to be very shy.
8) Próximo paso
Continúa con Future forms: will / going to / present continuous (planes vs predicciones) para aprender las distintas formas de hablar del futuro y cuándo usar cada una.