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what kind of different between "I used to" and "I had"
For example
I used to have a car
In my mine, this sentence is similar with "I had a car"
Could someone tell me that what kind of different between "I used to" and "I had"? please.
Thinks a lot.
Dec 21, 2016 4:03 AM
Answers · 3
1
Hello. I am new to this site, but I saw your question and thought I could help. Using "used to" is an easier way to discuss the past tense in English, without learning the past tense of each verb. Example: "I went to the movies" versus "I used to go to the movies". Also, "I used to have a dog" versus "I had a dog". A native English speaker will understand you, but you should learn the past tense form eventually. I hope this helps.
December 21, 2016
'I used to have a car' implies that you once had a car, but no longer have a car.
'I had a car' is more opened ended. "I had a car (when I was 20 years old/a year ago that broke down)"
They can mean the same thing, but 'I used to have a car' has more implication to it.
hope this helps! :)
December 21, 2016
Both are correct and fully interchangeable.
I should emphasise that if you're trying to say you owned a car over a prolonged period of time the 'used to' form is more common while as 'had' simply indicates you had a car at one point, maybe for a minute or 10 :-)
December 21, 2016
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強
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
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