Past Would

As strange as it seems, we can actually use would to talk about the past habits in the same way that we use used to.

When I was a child, I would go to the beach every summer. =

When I was a child, I used to go to the beach every.


Unlike used to, you have to use a past time reference. with would. Without a past time reference, we know that used to is talking about a past habit: 

I used to swim at the beach.

But you canNOT use would without a time reference:

I would swim at the beach (if I lived next to the sea).

Or else it is conditional.


While we can use used to for both past actions or situations.
I used to live in a fishing village.
I used to have a dog.
We canNOT use  would for past situations.
I would live in a fishing village when I was younger.
I would have a dog when I was younger.
Only for actions:
I would walk my dog along the shore of our fishing village.

So now, you shouldn't be surprised if you hear someone use would to talk about past habits. But if I were you, I would just use used to for talking about past habits in order to avoid confusion!


If you want to read more about used to, click on the name.