Levels & career tracks
Curso básico · A1–A2
Nivel A1.1 — IdentidadNivel A1.2 — Rutinas y entornoNivel A2.1 — Contando el mundoNivel A2.2 — Comparando y proyectandoIntermedio · B1–B2
Level B1.1 — Connecting experiences Current levelLevel B1.2 — Narrating and describingLevel B2.1 — ArguingLevel B2.2 — NuanceProfesional / Avanzado · C1–C2
Level C1.1 — PrecisionLevel C1.2 — Register and discourseLevel C2.1 — StyleLevel C2.2 — Native masteryInglés técnico y especialización
Career Track BusinessCareer Track Economics and FinanceCareer Track Business AdministrationCareer Track Information Systems EngineeringCareer Track Educational SciencesCareer Track Medicine and Health SciencesCareer Track Tourism and HospitalityCareer Track Occupational Health and SafetyCareer Track Legal EnglishLessons in this level
"Used to" describes a habit, routine, or state that was true in the past but isn't true now. It's a great way to talk about how your life — or the world — has changed over time.
Why this matters This lesson connects directly to your progress: it covers affirmative form; negative and questions; talking about how things have changed. Mastering this content lets you move forward confidently, and reinforces patterns you'll use again later. Take time to review every example before moving to the assessment — repetition is what actually locks knowledge in long-term.
01
The goals of this lesson.
02
You already know the Past Simple. This lesson gives you "used to" — a specific structure for past habits that don't happen anymore, with no direct Spanish equivalent.
03
"Used to" doesn't change for any subject, and it's always followed by the base form of the verb.
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| used to + base verb | I used to live there. |
Examples
04
Notice the spelling: "use to" (no "d") in negatives and questions, because "did" already carries the past tense.
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| didn't use to | I didn't use to like it. |
| Did...use to...? | Did you use to play sports? |
Examples
05
"Used to" is often paired with "but now" to highlight a contrast between the past and the present.
Examples
06
Read the text and answer the questions. You can try as many times as you want.
My grandmother used to tell amazing stories about her childhood. She used to live on a farm, and she didn't use to have electricity until she was a teenager. Life used to be much slower back then.
She used to walk two hours to school every day. Did people really use to do that? Now, everything is so different — but she says people used to be closer as a community, even without phones or the internet.
1. Where did the grandmother use to live?
2. What didn't she use to have until she was a teenager?
3. How does she describe life back then?
4. How did she use to get to school?
5. What does she say people used to be, even without phones?
💪 Every lesson is sharpening your instincts for natural English. Review anytime, or keep moving forward!
07
Usa las pistas para completar cada palabra en inglés. Sin calificar — repite las veces que quieras.
08
The essentials of this lesson, summarized.
09
Key terms to remember.
did something regularly in the past, but not now
solíato perform music or take part in a game
tocar, jugarto go from one place to another
viajarof the highest quality; most excellent
mejor(es)to inhale and exhale tobacco smoke
fumarto dislike something intensely
odiar10
Tap the words in the correct order to form the sentence. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.
11
Tap the correct verb form to complete each sentence. The other options are conjugations from other tenses — on purpose, so you learn to tell them apart.
Things to be different around here
I smoke anymore but I used to
She use to exercise
This used to be a school
Did you to play sports
12
Listen to the full dialogue with the speaker buttons first, then fill in the missing words from this lesson's real conversation. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.
Did you to in Guayaquil?
Yes, I to, but I five years ago.
13
You need at least 80% to unlock the next lesson. You can retake it as many times as you want — your best score is saved.
1. Which option matches: "We didn't use to have a car."?
2. Select the correct match for: "I didn't use to like coffee."
3. What does this mean: "I used to think this job was easy."?
4. What does this mean: "He used to be my neighbor."?
5. Which option matches: "She used to be shy, but now she's very confident."?
6. "I don't smoke anymore, but I used to." — which one is correct?
7. "She used to work as a teacher." — which one is correct?
8. Choose the equivalent of: "We used to travel every summer."
9. Which option matches: "Did you use to play sports?"?
10. What does this mean: "This building used to be a school."?
14
You now express discontinued past habits with "used to". Next lesson: the Zero Conditional, for facts and general truths.
15
Practice this lesson's vocabulary with a word search and flashcards. Ungraded — play as many times as you like.
Tap the first and last letter of a hidden word to find it. Los términos de varias palabras van sin espacios en el tablero (ej. "give up" aparece como GIVEUP).
Elige la respuesta correcta. Si aciertas, la tarjeta queda lista por hoy; si fallas, vuelve a aparecer pronto para reforzarla. Tu progreso se guarda en este dispositivo.