Used to (Soler)

Usamos el verbo modal “used to” para indicar algo que ocurría o sucedía en el pasado
de manera habitual. También, se utiliza para algo que antes era verdad pero ya no lo es.
Como con los otros verbos modales, “used to” está seguido por la forma base del verbo
(el infinitivo sin “to”).

Structure (Estructura)

1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)

Sujeto + “used to” + verbo…

Ejemplos:

We used to go to the beach every summer when I was young.(Cuando era joven
solíamos ir a la playa cada verano.)
He used to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, but he quit last year.(Solía fumar un
paquete de cigarrillos al día, pero lo dejó el año pasado.)
I used to like mushrooms, but not anymore.(Antes me gustaban las setas, pero ya no.)
There used to be a great restaurant here, but it closed a few years ago.(Había un buen
restaurante aquí, pero cerró hace unos años.)

2. Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)

Sujeto + “didn’t” + “use to” + verbo…

Ejemplos:

I didn’t use to like mushrooms, but now I do.(Antes no me gustaban las setas, pero
ahora sí.)
Food didn’t use to be so expensive.(La comida no solía ser tan cara.)
We didn’t use to go away on holiday very often when I was young.(No solíamos ir de
vacaciones a menudo cuando era joven.)
3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)

Did + sujeto + “use to” + verbo…?

Ejemplos:

Didn’t he use to smoke a lot?(Él fumaba mucho antes, ¿no?)

Did you use to live here?(¿Vivías aquí antes?)
Did they use to go to the beach in the summers?(¿Solían ir a la playa durante los
veranos?)

1) Separable Phrasal Verbs (los separables). Son aquellos phrasal verbs en los cuales se
puede poner una persona del predicado, en medio de la acción y la preposición.

Ex:
-take back (regresar, devolver)
Max took the defective radio back to the store where he bought it.
Max devolvió la radio defectuosa a la tienda donde lo compro

-Call off = cancelar, suspender.

Call it off = cancélalo.

-Fill out = llenar.

Fill the application out = llena la solicitud.

-Call up = telefonear.
Call them up = telefonéales.

-Fill (someone*) in on… = poner a alguien al corriente de.

Fill me in on what you are doing = ponme al corriente de lo que tú estás haciendo.

* "someone" (alguien), en puede ser sustituido por cualquier pronombre (me, you, it, him,
her, me, them).
 Pick up = recoger, levantar.
 Put on = vestirse o encender algo.
 Put out = poner afuera o apagar (un fuego).
 Try on = probar (la ropa, idea, etc..)
 Cheer up = animarse, ponerse alegre.
 Do over = repetir, hacerlo otra vez.
 Give up = abandonar, cesar, rendirse, darse por vencido.
 Give out = distribuir.
 Give back = regresar, darle de regreso algo a alguien.
 Hand over = entregar, ceder algo a alguien.
 Hand in = entregar (papeles).
 Leave out = excluir, omitir.
 Look up = buscar (algo en un escrito, diccionario o libro).
 Pick out = escoger, seleccionar.
 Turn out = apagar (luz, fuego o gas).
 Turn out to be = resultar ser.
 Turn over = voltear (un objeto o persona).
 Turn around = voltear (de rotar la cabeza, objeto, etc).
 Turn on = poner algo en operación, prender (luces o motor).
 Turn off = apagar (un motor o luces).
 Turn down = rechazar, reducir.
 Keep up = mantener, continuar haciendo algo.
 Look over = examinar o mirar por encima.
 Bring back = traer algo de vuelta.
 Head for = dirigirse hacia.
 Give away = regalar.
 Show off = presumir.
 Show up = resaltar, aparecer.
 Take over = tomar posesión de, conquistar, dominar.
 Take after = parecerse a.
 Take away = quitar, remover, llevarse.
 Take down = note down = tomar nota, anotar.
 Take up = usar, ocupar.
 Think over = considerar (algo).
 Make up = inventar, reconciliar.
 Put off = posponer.
 Figure out = entender, calcular, resolver mentalmente.
 Talk over = discutir.
 Cut down = reducir.
 Come across = tropezar con, encontrarse con.
 Blow out = extinguir, descontar.
 Hold on = demorar, aguantar (un peso, situación, etc...).

Modals to express obligation: MUST, HAVE (GOT) TO

modals

necessity

obligation

HAVE (GOT) TO

MUST

Present and future

Must refers to obligations which come from the speaker and may be directed at the
speaker or the listener:

I really must give up smoking. (directed at the speaker)

You must keep this secret. (directed at the listener)

Have to expresses external obligations, which come from outside of the speaker. These
may be rules and regulations imposed by an external authority:

I have to get to work by 9 every day.

Do you have to wear a uniform at your school?
Absence of obligation is expressed with the negative form of have to, not
with mustn't. Mustn't is used to express that it is necessary not to do something:

I don't have to get up early tomorrow. It's a holiday. (I can get up late.)
You mustn't tell anyone. It's a secret. (Don't tell anyone.)

Have got to has the same meaning as have to, but it is more common in informal, spoken
language. The affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of have to and have got
to are:

have to have got to

I/you/we/they have to go. I/you/we/they have got to go.

I/you/we/they don't have to go. I/you/we/they haven't got to go.
Do I/you/we/they have to go? Have I/you/we/they got to go?
He has to go. He has got to go.
He doesn't have to go. He hasn't got to go.
Does he have to go? Has he got to go?

Must and will have to can be used to refer to future obligations:

You must be home by 10 o'clock.

I'll have to pay my bills next week.

Past

Must has no past form. Instead, we use had to to express past obligations:

When I was at primary school, I had to wear a uniform.

We had to start all over again.
 Modals of Necessity: Must, Have got to, Have to

Introduction

These three verbs are modal verbs.

 must
 have got to
 have to

Modal verbs are helping/auxiliary verbs that express ideas like ability, necessity,
and prohibition. Many modal verbs have more than one meaning. They are always
followed by the simple form of a verb. For example:

Andrew has to pay his rent every month.

This shows that Andrew has no choice. He has an obligation to pay his rent. He will be in
trouble if he does not pay his rent.

Modals of Necessity

Let's read about how to express necessity or obligation. The modal verbs “must,” “have
to” and “have got to” show that something is not optional; it is necessary.

Must is the strongest and most serious modal verb of the three and is most common in
writing. It is unusual to use “must” in questions.

I must study tonight.

Have got to is most common in informal speech. It is not used in questions.

I have got to study tonight. = I must study tonight.

Have to is the most commonly used modal of obligation. It is useful for forming questions
and negatives.
Be careful! The subject and verb must agree for he/she/it subjects AND the question form
requires “Do/Does/Did”.

Example Question Answer

I have to study tonight. Do I have to study tonight? Yes, I do.

She has to study tonight. Does she have to study tonight? No, she doesn't.

Remember: “have got to” and “have to” are modal verbs and require a simple verb to
follow them. The “to” is part of the modal; it is not an infinitive “to”.

There is only one way to express past time with these modal verbs: HAD TO. (There is
no past tense of must/have got to.)

For example:

Present Time Past Time

We must show our passport at the Last night, we had to show our passport
airport. at the airport.

I have got to pay my phone bill soon. I had to pay my phone bill this morning.

They had to go to the meeting

They have to go to the meeting today.
yesterday.

Pronunciation notes:

The modal verb have got to is often contracted as: I've got to and sounds like
“I've gotta...”
The modal verb have to often sounds like: “I hafta...” or “She hasta...”

“gotta”, “hafta”, and “hasta” cannot be used in written English. They are only used in
speaking.

When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.