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Being English

The document provides information about common English greetings and farewell phrases, as well as how to ask and respond to questions about how someone is doing. It also discusses the differences between the phrases "used to" and "would" when talking about past habits or states. Specifically, "used to" refers to a past habit or state that no longer exists, while "would" implies nostalgia when discussing past actions.

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Bixinis
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32 views

Being English

The document provides information about common English greetings and farewell phrases, as well as how to ask and respond to questions about how someone is doing. It also discusses the differences between the phrases "used to" and "would" when talking about past habits or states. Specifically, "used to" refers to a past habit or state that no longer exists, while "would" implies nostalgia when discussing past actions.

Uploaded by

Bixinis
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Being English (Youtube videos with Paul)

Hello: Hi, hey, hi’ya, alright, what’s up, how’s it going, hello there (kind of creepy), why
hello!

How are you: How are ya? What’s up? What’s new? So, how are things? How are things
going? You alright? What have you been up to?

Answer: sweet, tip-top (very British English for ‘perfect’), great, just fine, fine, nothing
new, not bad, could be better, same old (nothing’s changed), not much, alright

Good bye: see you (see ya), see you later, take it easy, take care, mind how you go (=be
careful, very nice thing to say when you say good bye), ta-ta (common in northern
England)

In English they don’t like to speak so negatively as you can see in the answer’s paragraph.
This is very useful for spoken English, written English only very informal.

Used to vs. Would


Used to + Infinitive
I used to have hair, I used to have a car, I used to live in England…

I didn’t used to have hair, I didn’t used to have a car, I didn’t used to live in England

I never used to have hair… (More common to say in English than “didn’t use to”)

Did you used to have hair?

 It’s always in past simple. No other forms exists


 Pronunciation: /ju:st/ used but use (z) I’m using a pen
 Used to is employed to talk about past states or past habits which are now
finished.
 No specific length of time: we don’t say “used to” + a specific time word, we need
a more general time expression when I’m was younger I used to have hair.

Would + (bare) infinitive


 It also talks about the past BUT “would” gives the idea of nostalgia: When I was
young, I would sit in the park reading.
 When we talk about past states we use “used to” not “would”: I used to have hair -
would

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