English grammar
Telling an old story: used to, past simple, past perfect
Tell an old story mixing used to, past simple and past perfect.
From the scene In my day
In short
In an old story, use used to for habits, the past simple for events, and had + past participle for earlier ones.
Your turn
Which one goes with a single past event?
Options: I met him at a party · we used to dance every Sunday · my mother had already sewn the dress
Show answer
a single past event → I met him at a party
How it works
Used to + infinitive describes a repeated habit (we used to dance every Sunday).
Your turn
Pick the word that fits the line.
It poured, and the groom still (blank) turned up.
Clue: before that moment in the story
Options: hasn't · didn't · hadn't
Show answer
It poured, and the groom still hadn't turned up.
Llovió muchísimo, y el novio no llegaba.
Good to know
The past simple tells a single event (I met him at a party).
Good to know
The past perfect (had + past participle) says what had already happened before that moment in the story (my mother had already sewn the dress; he had overslept).
a repeated habit in the past we used to dance every Sunday
Elena
We used to dance every Sunday in the square.
Solíamos bailar todos los domingos en la plaza.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
(blank) in the square.
Options: I met him at a party · My mother had already sewn the dress · We used to dance every Sunday
Show answer
Elena
We used to dance every Sunday in the square.
Solíamos bailar todos los domingos en la plaza.
a single past event I met him at a party
Elena
I met him at a party, in sixty-four.
Lo conocí en una fiesta, en el sesenta y cuatro.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
(blank), in sixty-four.
Options: My mother had already sewn the dress · I met him at a party · We used to dance every Sunday
Show answer
Elena
I met him at a party, in sixty-four.
Lo conocí en una fiesta, en el sesenta y cuatro.
already happened before that my mother had already sewn the dress
Elena
My mother had already sewn the dress by hand...
Mi madre ya había cosido el vestido a mano...
Your turn
What fills the gap?
(blank) by hand...
Options: My mother had already sewn the dress · We used to dance every Sunday · I met him at a party
Show answer
Elena
My mother had already sewn the dress by hand...
Mi madre ya había cosido el vestido a mano...
earlier still, in the same story he had overslept
Elena
He had overslept! And he stayed that way for fifty years.
¡Se había quedado dormido! Y así siguió cincuenta años.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
(blank)! And he stayed that way for fifty years.
Options: He had overslept · We used to dance every Sunday · I met him at a party
Show answer
Elena
He had overslept! And he stayed that way for fifty years.
¡Se había quedado dormido! Y así siguió cincuenta años.
Common mistake
Not meets or had met here. One event, the first in the story.
I met him at a party, in sixty-four.
Lo conocí en una fiesta, en el sesenta y cuatro.
Practise it in the story
Meet this rule inside a short animated scene. Answer as it plays, then say the lines yourself.
Practise free in the appSee all forms
| a repeated habit in the past | we used to dance every Sunday |
|---|---|
| a single past event | I met him at a party |
| already happened before that | my mother had already sewn the dress |
| earlier still, in the same story | he had overslept |
More lines from the story
- ElenaIt poured, and the groom still hadn't turned up.Llovió muchísimo, y el novio no llegaba.
- ElenaIn my day, weddings were different.En mis tiempos, las bodas eran diferentes.