Encuentra profesores de Inglés
Antonina
"Used to have" or "had"?
- When I was a teacher I used to have a lot of students.
Why not "I had a lot of students"?
28 de jul. de 2019 15:37
Respuestas · 3
3
There is a difference in meaning.
1 - "I had" is the simple past of "to have". It refers to a specific moment in the past.
2 - "I used to have" is the (pseudo) modal "to use to (do)". It compares a moment in the past with the present. It describes a situation that is no longer true.
I recommend English Grammar in Use by Murphy. Unit 18. A paper edition is cheap and there is a PDF available on the net.
28 de julio de 2019
Both work grammatically. ‘Used to’ gives a bit more sense of ongoing or habitual action in the past. It also implies you don’t do it / have it any more. When I was child I used to eat a lot of sweets, (but now I am grown up I don’t eat so many).
Good explanation here https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-m_used-to-do.htm
28 de julio de 2019
¿No has encontrado las respuestas?
¡Escribe tus preguntas y deja que los hablantes nativos te ayuden!
Antonina
Competencias lingüísticas
Inglés, Francés, Alemán, Ruso
Idioma de aprendizaje
Inglés, Alemán
Artículos que podrían gustarte

The Power of Storytelling in Business Communication
44 votos positivos · 9 Comentarios

Back-to-School English: 15 Must-Know Phrases for the Classroom
31 votos positivos · 6 Comentarios

Ten Tourist towns in Portugal that nobody remembers
59 votos positivos · 23 Comentarios
Más artículos