It’s 11:47 PM. Your phone lights up again. Notifications. Messages. Videos. You scroll without thinking… Suddenly, the screen freezes. A message appears: “Do you remember who you used to be?” That question is important, because before social media, life was different…
For example:
People used to remember their friends' phone numbers by heart.
We used to wait a whole week for our photos to be developed.
Kids used to play outside until the streetlights came on, instead of gaming online.
People used to remember their friends' phone numbers by heart.
We used to wait a whole week for our photos to be developed.
Kids used to play outside until the streetlights came on, instead of gaming online.
In English, we have a special way to talk about that past life…
used to — [ˈjuːst tə] — is a semi modal verb. It shows that a particular thing always happened or was true in the past, especially if it no longer happens or is no longer true; būt paradušam, mēdza
Before social media, if you wanted to hang out with a friend, you used to call their house phone and talk to their parents first. We didn't use to know what everyone was doing every second of the day.
What is a "semi-modal" verb?
Grammar terms can sound confusing, but a "semi-modal" is exactly what it sounds like: it's semi (partly) one thing and semi another. Think of "used to" as being caught right in the middle of two different verb families:
Grammar terms can sound confusing, but a "semi-modal" is exactly what it sounds like: it's semi (partly) one thing and semi another. Think of "used to" as being caught right in the middle of two different verb families:
- part modal verb (the special rule): just like words such as can, should, or must, it adds a specific meaning to your sentence, telling us about a past habit. Just like those verbs, it’s always followed by a base verb (e.g., used to play, not used to playing);
- part normal verb (the everyday rule): true modal verbs can make questions and negatives all by themselves (I cannot, You should not). But "used to" isn't quite that strong. It needs help from the word "did" to make questions and negatives (e.g., Did you use to...? or I didn't use to...), exactly like a regular past-tense verb.
Because it follows some rules from both sides, we call it a "semi-modal" verb.
Rule 1 — Past Habits (Repeated Actions)
"I used to ride my bike to school every day." (I don't do this now; I drive or take the bus).
We use "used to" to talk about actions that happened regularly or repeatedly in the past, but do not happen anymore.
Rule 2 — Past States (Situations and Facts)
"There used to be a movie theater in our town." (The building is gone or closed now).
We also use "used to" to talk about facts, states of being, or situations that were true in the past but are no longer true. This is often used with verbs like be, have, live, love.
Rule 3 — "Used to" only exists in the past
If you want to talk about a habit you have right now, you do not use "use to." You just use the Present Simple tense, often with an adverb of frequency.
Correct: I usually drink coffee every morning.
How do we form it?
I used to play outside.
We used to talk face-to-face.
Affirmative: Subject + used to + verb
We used to talk face-to-face.
Negative: Subject + didn't + use to + verb
We didn’t use to check our phones all the time.
Interrogative: Did + subject + use to + verb?
Did people use to live like this?
A final thought: "Used to" is a great tool for talking about the past. But don't let your best moments become things you only used to do. Today, challenge yourself: put your phone on 'Do Not Disturb', step away from the screen, and go do something fun in the Present Simple.