Used to is one of the most rewarding B1 structures to teach, because students immediately want to talk about themselves: how they used to be, what they used to do, what has changed. The structure itself is simple. The two things that go wrong are the spelling in negatives and questions, and knowing when not to use it.
1. Start with a "then and now" comparison
Draw a simple timeline with then on the left and now on the right. Talk about yourself: "I used to live in a small town. Now I live in a city. I used to have long hair." The key meaning to make visible is that the situation was true for a period in the past and is not true now. That contrast with the present is what makes used to different from a plain past simple.
2. Habits and states — both work
Used to covers repeated actions (I used to walk to school) and long-term states (I used to be shy, We used to have a dog). This is worth pointing out because the alternative students may meet later — would for past habits — only works for actions, not states: "I would be shy" means something else entirely.
3. Negatives and questions: where the -d goes
The single most common written error is "I didn't used to". Explain it with a rule students already know from the past simple: after did the verb goes back to its base form — did go, did play — so it's didn't use to and Did you use to …? A short transformation drill (affirmative → negative → question) fixes this quickly.
4. Contrast it with past simple
Students overuse used to once they learn it. Give them the boundary: use the past simple for a single event (I went to Paris in 2019) or when you say how many times (I visited my grandmother three times). Used to doesn't combine with a specific number of times or a single date.
Common mistakes and how to catch them
- "Didn't used to": the -d stays after did. Link it to didn't go, not didn't went.
- Using it for the present: "I use to play tennis on Sundays." For present habits, use the present simple: I usually play.
- Confusing it with "be used to": "I'm used to getting up early" means it's normal for me, not a past habit. At B1, mention it only if students raise it, and keep the two apart on the board.
- With a single event: "I used to go to Rome last year." → I went to Rome last year.
A 45-minute lesson shape that works
- 5 min — Warm-up: then vs. now, from a childhood photo.
- 10 min — Present used to for habits and states on a timeline.
- 10 min — Negatives and questions: didn't use to / Did you use to.
- 10 min — Contrast drill with past simple.
- 10 min — Childhood interview and report back.
Free worksheets for this lesson
- Used To (Past Habits) – Grammar — form, negatives, questions and the then/now contrast.
- Used To (Past Habits) – Reading — a text about how life used to be.
- Used To (Past Habits) – Practice — extra controlled practice and error correction.
- Used To (Past Habits) – Writing — students write about how their own life has changed.
Pair it with the past simple guide for the contrast stage, or browse the full B1 collection.