1.26 Used

Used is the past and past participle of the verb use (utilitzar, fer servir), e.g.:

Who has used my bike? (Qui ha utiltzat la meva bici?)

Used has two other meanings:

• First it goes with many different verbs to refer to repeated or continuing actions or situations in past time, e.g.:

I used to play tennis. (Abans jugava a tennis.)

On Sundays they used to go for long walks. (Els diumenges solien fer llargues caminades.)

They didn't use to complain so much. (No solien queixar-se tant.)

There used to be a farm here. (Abans hi havia una granja aquí.)

A: Did Bill use to live in Manchester? (Abans vivia en Bill a Manchester?)

B: No, he used to live in Liverpool. (No, abans en Bill vivia a Liverpool.)





Notice that this use only refers to past time and it implies that the activity doesn't happen now. This used cannot be used of present time. We say, for example: I usually walk to work. (Normalment vaig a la feina caminant.) We cannot say (about present time): I use to walk to work. Notice that you will sometimes find would for repeated or continuing actions in the past (but not for states), e.g.: On Sundays they would go for long walks. (Els diumenges solien fer llargues caminades.) (Not: there would be a farm here.) (Not: Bill would live in Liverpool.)





We cannot use used or would when a definite time is specified or to say how often something happened, e.g.:





We used to/would go to Paris last year.

We used to/would go to Paris several times.




• The second used is an adjective (acostumat), followed by to; it goes after be or get and the sentence can refer to past time, present time or future time, e.g.:




Pat soon got used to training in the evenings. (El Pat es va acostumar aviat a entrenar-se als vespres.)

I am used to getting up early. (Estic acostumada a llevar-me d'hora.)

Are they used to working underground? (Estan acostumats a treballar sota terra?)

Don't worry! You'll soon get used to wearing a uniform. (No et preocupis! T'acostumaràs aviat a portar uniforme.)