used to or past simple?
We often use used to, not the past simple, when we want to emphasize a difference between the past and the present:
My sister works in an office now but she used to work on a farm.
We use the past simple for:
•single actions in the past:
✗ I used to have an exam last week. ✓ I had an exam last week.
•periods of time:
✗ He used to be in Greece for two years.
✓ He was in Greece for two years.
•a number of times:
✗ We used to swim in the pool twice when we stayed there.
✓ We swam in the pool twice when we stayed there.
We often use used to, not the past simple, when we want to emphasize a difference between the past and the present:
My sister works in an office now but she used to work on a farm.
We use the past simple for:
•single actions in the past:
✗ I used to have an exam last week. ✓ I had an exam last week.
•periods of time:
✗ He used to be in Greece for two years.
✓ He was in Greece for two years.
•a number of times:
✗ We used to swim in the pool twice when we stayed there.
✓ We swam in the pool twice when we stayed there.