Habitual actions in the past

To describe habitual, repeated actions in the past, one generally uses the construction "used to + verb." Thus:

• When I was little, we used to go camping a lot.
• When my father was in school, they used to slap children who didn't behave.
• I used to work days, but now I work the night shift.

In spoken English, one often uses the common construction with the modal "would," followed by the main verb:

• When we were kids, we would haze each other quite a bit.
• When I was little, we would go camping a lot.
• When my father was in school, they would slap children who didn't behave.

See also:

• The preterit
• The past progressive

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