The terms usually and used to are used to talk about habits or repeated actions, but they have key differences in their usage. While usually refers to actions that happen frequently in the present, used to is used to describe past habits or situations that no longer occur. In this post, we’ll explore their meanings and how to use them correctly to express routines and behaviors accurately.
- «Used to»:
– Usage: «Used to» is typically employed when discussing past habits, states, or regular actions which no longer occur in the present.
–Structure: It has a simple structure:
Subject + used to + base form of the verb
– Examples:
- I used to play basketball every weekend.
- She used to live in New York.
– Negative form: When constructing the negative form, «didn’t» is used before «used to».
– Examples:
- I didn’t use to like spinach.
- They didn’t use to visit us often.
– Interrogative form: To form questions, invert «did» and the subject.
–Examples:
- Did you use to play football?
- Did they use to live here?
Remember: «Used to» specifically refers to something that was true in the past but is not true now.
- «USUALLY»:
–Usage: «Usually» is used to discuss habits, states, or regular actions in the present or general time.
–Placement: it’s most commonly placed before the main verb or after the auxiliary verb.
–Examples:
- I usually get up at 6 a.m.
- She usually has coffee for breakfast.
- We usually go to the cinema on Sundays
- They are usually late.
– Negative form: For the negative form, we place «not» before «usually».
–Examples:
- I’m not usually late for work.
- She doesn’t usually eat sweets.
Remember: «Usually» tells us about what generally happens or is the case, it doesn’t tell us about one specific occasion.
Keep in mind that both «used to» and «usually» describe repeated or habitual actions. The primary difference between the two is the time reference: «used to» is for the past, while «usually» is for the present.