Used to!= would (interchangeable / not interchangeable)

[alandro255]

When:

used to = would (interchangeable)
Used to # would (not interchangeable) ?

Alandro

[Yankee]

.
Used to and would can be used to talk about something you did repeatedly or habitually in the past (but no longer do now).

dictionary definitions for would
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[alandro255]

Hi,

I used to like playing football. = I would like playing football.
I used to live in Singapour. =I would live in Singapour.
There used to be a house there.=There would be a house there.
I used to go there every Sunday.=I would go there every Sunday.

Right or wrong? If wrong,why?

Alandro

[Yankee]

.
Used to can be used for repeated/habitual actions AND states.
Would can only be used to talk about repeated/habitual actions in the past.

play = action:
- I used to play football every Saturday when I was young. = I would play football every Saturday when I was young.

like = state:
- I used to like playing football.

live = state (i.e., "live" is not a series of individual repeated activites):
- I used to live in Singapore.

be = state:
- There used to be a house there.

go = action:
- I used to go there every Sunday.= I would go there every Sunday.
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Alan]

Hi,

It's worth noting that would in the sense of a repeated action in the past is really only used in the written form.

Alan

You say you live in Italy. Which Italian grammars on English have you used?
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Sea Expressions

[alandro255]

I have only:

Oxford-Paravia English Italian Dictionary, OUP,
2001.
Italian Grammar in Practice, 2002.

Alandro

[aardvark]

they are interchangable in many places. but when it is stative verb, would cannot give the exact meaning "used to" give. that means in your first three examples used to and would are not interchangable.

many greetings.