Would for past habits

  • B1 · Intermediate
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min

would + verb for things that we did again and again in the past: Every morning, we would swim in the lake before breakfast. From a man's memories of summers at his grandparents' cabin to the student's own childhood places, with used to or the past simple when would can't go.

Teach this lessonDownload PDF

Free, no card needed. The PDF has every slide, the homework and an answer key.

would sleepwe'd walkwould always wave

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Reading: summers at the lakeReading comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find would + verbGrammar exercise
  6. 6would for past habitsGrammar rule
  7. 7Action or state?Grammar exercise
  8. 8Which form?Grammar exercise
  9. 9Snow daysGrammar exercise
  10. 10Build the sentencesGrammar exercise
  11. 11Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  12. 12A place from my childhoodSpeaking practice
  13. 13About youGrammar exercise
  14. 14Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: which is right?Grammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: my first jobGrammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: a person from my childhoodDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

Some questions about you before we start.

  1. What was your favorite season when you were a child? Why?
  2. What games did you play with your friends when you were ten or eleven?
  3. Is there a smell or a song that takes you back to your childhood?

Grammar rule

would for past habits

would + verb

Example
PositiveOn hot nights, my uncle would sleep on the porch.
Short formAfter pronouns, would is often 'd: We'd walk to the river after dinner.
With always, often, sometimes, neverThe adverb goes after would: The bus driver would always wave at us.

When do we use it?

  • for actions that happened again and again in the past, often in memories and stories
  • first make the past time clear (When I was little…, Every winter…, or a sentence with used to), then continue with would
  • would is the same for every person (I, you, he, she, we, they) and takes the base verb: would walk, not would walked, would walking or would to walk

used to or would?

used towouldpast simple
a repeated action✓ We used to ski every January.✓ We would ski every January.✓ We skied every January.
a state (be, have, own, live, love, know)✓ I used to own a red scooter.✗✓ I owned a red scooter.
one event, or how many times in total✗✗✓ We skied in Utah once. We went there four times.
Watch out: wouldn't + verb often means "refused": The old car wouldn't start. For something that never happened, would never is clearer: Dad would never drive on the highway. In questions about past habits, did and used to are more common than would: What did you do on weekends? Did you use to…?

Teach it live with video and a whiteboard, or print it: the PDF has every slide, the homework and the answers.

Teach this lesson
← ReviewReview 1 · Lessons 1–5