Used to ESL Games, Activities & Worksheets
Adaptation Avenue
ESL Used to Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work
In this handy used to speaking activity, students practice forming, asking and answering 'used to' and 'get used to' conversation questions...
Blast from the Past
ESL Used to Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences, Impromptu Speech - Group Work
In this imaginative used to game, students talk about how things were different in the past using 'used to' and 'didn't use to'. In groups, students take turns picking up a card (e.g. computers) and talking about...
Did you use to...?
ESL Used to Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Survey, Writing, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice
In this engaging used to speaking activity, students conduct a survey to find out what their classmates' lives were like as children by asking and answering 'Did you use to...?' questions. First, students...
Growing Up
ESL Used to Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Answering Questions, Discussions, Communicative Practice - Group Work
In this free used to board game, students practice 'used to' and the past simple by discussing and answering questions about childhood memories...
Memories
ESL Used to Game - Grammar and Speaking: Guessing, Writing, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work
In this insightful used to game, students guess a partner's answers to 'I used to...' sentences about their childhood by asking 'Did you use to...?' questions. First, students read 'I used to...' sentences, think about...
My Childhood
ESL Used to Game - Grammar and Speaking: Writing Sentences, True or False, Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing - Group and Pair Work
In this amusing used to game, students give true and false information about their childhood. First, in two groups, students answer each prompt with...
People used to...
ESL Used to Game - Grammar and Vocabulary: Sentence Completion, Forming Sentences, Guessing, Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work
In this fun used to game, students guess inventions by listening to a partner talk about what people used to do and didn't use to do before they existed...
Then and Now
ESL Used to Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Writing Sentences, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work
In this free used to vs. present simple activity, students ask and answer questions about the way things used to be when they were 12 and the way things are now...
Used To Practice
ESL Used To Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Unscrambling, Rewriting Sentences, Gap-fill, Writing Questions - Speaking Activity: Freer Practice - Pair Work
In this productive used to worksheet, students practice forms of 'used to' in affirmative and negative statements and Wh questions. To begin, students reorder...
Life Changes
ESL Used to Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Discussions, Freer Practice - Pair Work
This interesting used to speaking activity is ideal for practicing or reviewing the various forms of 'used to', e.g. get used to, getting used to, etc. In the activity, students ask and answer questions about the...
Looking back
ESL Used to Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Discussions, Freer Practice - Pair Work
In this memorable used to speaking activity, students practice expressions with 'used to' and 'would' by talking about past habits and memories. Students begin by writing true short answers for the items...
Recent Changes
ESL Used to Game - Grammar: Sentence Completion, Reading Sentences, Guessing - Group and Pair Work
In this entertaining used to game, students practice 'used to', 'didn't use to' and 'getting used to' by guessing situations from recent changes. The worksheet shows recent changes in the student's life...
Usually, Used to, Get used to
ESL Used to Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work
Here is a fun used to board game to help students ask and answer questions about things they usually do, used to do, or could/couldn't get used to doing. In pairs, students take turns rolling...
Understanding Used to
'Used to' describes habits, states, or situations that were true in the past but are no longer true now, as in 'She used to walk to school' or 'They used to live in Madrid.' Students who replace it with the simple past can still be understood, but they lose a signal that the situation has genuinely changed, which weakens the contrast they are trying to express.
This page covers 'used to' across B1 and B2 levels with 13 activities including board games, impromptu speech games, surveys, guessing games, and a worksheet, with two activities available as free downloads.
The table below maps all the key forms of 'used to' alongside the related structures 'get used to' and 'be used to', which students commonly confuse with each other.
| Form | Structure | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affirmative statement | subject + used to + base verb | 'She used to walk to school.' | True in the past, no longer true now |
| Negative statement | subject + didn't use to + base verb | 'He didn't use to like vegetables.' | Also written as 'used not to' in formal English |
| Yes/No question | Did + subject + use to + base verb? | 'Did they use to live here?' | Note: 'use to', not 'used to', after 'did' |
| Wh- question | Wh- word + did + subject + use to + base verb? | 'Where did you use to go on holiday?' | Same rule: 'use to' after 'did' |
| Get used to (present) | subject + is/am/are + getting used to + noun/gerund | 'She is getting used to the new schedule.' | Describes the process of adapting now |
| Be used to (state) | subject + is/am/are + used to + noun/gerund | 'He is used to working late.' | Describes a state of being fully accustomed |
| Would for past habits | subject + would + base verb | 'As a child, she would play in the park.' | Only for repeated actions, not states; no negative or question form |
When to Use Used to
Signaling a complete lifestyle change: A speaker reaches for 'used to' when they want to mark a clear break between an old way of living and a new one, making it the natural choice in personal essays and interviews, as in 'I used to work in finance, but everything changed when I moved abroad.'
Describing adaptation to a new environment: 'Getting used to' suits situations where someone is in the middle of adjusting and the process still feels noticeable, which makes it common in conversations about relocating or starting a new routine, as in 'I'm still getting used to driving on the left.'
Expressing nostalgia or shared cultural memory: 'Used to' carries an emotional weight that the simple past does not, making it the preferred choice when a speaker wants to evoke a sense of loss or longing about a shared past, as in 'We all used to meet at that cafe on Fridays.'
3-Step Framework for Teaching Used to
1. Lock Down the Forms First: Start with a worksheet that moves students through the positive and negative forms in sequence. Have them rewrite past simple sentences using 'used to', then use verbs from a box to produce negative 'didn't use to' sentences. That contrast between the two forms in writing is worth doing before any speaking, because students who have tested both forms on paper make far fewer slips when they switch to spontaneous production.
2. Get Students Speaking with Timed Cards: Once the forms are secure, raise the energy with a timed speaking game. Students pick up a topic card and talk for 30 seconds about how that thing was different in the past, producing as many 'used to' and 'didn't use to' sentences as they can, with examples like 'Computers used to have floppy disks. The monitors didn't use to be flat like they are today.' Each correct sentence scores a point, which keeps students pushing for accuracy under time pressure.
3. Extend to All Three Forms with a Guessing Game: Once students handle 'used to' and 'didn't use to' confidently, push them into 'getting used to' as well. In a guessing game format, students write three sentences about a recent change in their life, one for each form, then read them aloud while their partner has three chances to identify the situation. Covering all three forms in a single set of sentences forces students to think about meaning and not just grammar patterns.
Common Mistakes with Used to
Using 'used to' for a single past event: Students often use 'used to' to describe a one-time past event rather than a repeated habit or ongoing state, treating it as a general past tense marker. Wrong: 'I used to go to Paris last summer.' Correct: 'I went to Paris last summer.'
Keeping 'used' after the auxiliary 'did': Students often write 'used to' instead of 'use to' in questions and negatives, carrying the past tense marker twice when 'did' already signals the past. Wrong: 'Did you used to play football?' Correct: 'Did you use to play football?'
Common Questions About Teaching Used to
What is an engaging board game for practicing 'used to' at intermediate level?
The board game Growing Up is a free download that puts 'used to' in a natural B1 context. When a player lands on a square, the student on their right asks a question about growing up, the player answers using 'used to' and the past simple, and the group then explores the topic with follow-up questions and comments.
What is a fun 'used to' game for B1 students?
In the game People used to..., students describe a hidden invention to a partner using only 'used to' and 'didn't use to' sentences, reading their clues with the word 'blank' for the underlined invention, for example 'Before the invention of the 'blank', people used to...' The partner then has three chances to guess the invention.
What is a good 'used to' speaking activity for intermediate students?
Contrasting 'used to' with the present simple is the aim of the activity Then and Now, a free download where students write past answers using 'used to', for example 'I used to have long brown hair and spots', then write present simple answers. In pairs, they ask and answer both sets of questions and report back to the class.
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