In brief
- Present habit: simple present + frequency adverb (always, usually, often)
- Acquired present habit: to be used to + noun or -ing verb
- Habit being acquired: to get used to + noun or -ing verb
- Past finished habit: used to + infinitive, or would + infinitive for a repeated action
- Common trap: would is never used for a state, unlike used to
French expresses habit with a limited number of tools – the imperfect tense or phrases like avoir l’habitude de. English distinguishes much more finely the timing and nature of the habit: a current routine, an acquired habit, a habit in the process of being acquired, or a past, finished habit each use a different construction. This vocabulary and these structures cover all of these nuances.
Present habit: simple present and frequency adverbs
To describe a regular routine in the present, English uses the simple present, most often accompanied by a frequency adverb that specifies how regularly the action occurs.
| Adverb | French | Approximate frequency |
|---|---|---|
| always | toujours | 100% |
| usually | habituellement, d’habitude | about 90% |
| normally | normalement | about 85% |
| often | souvent | about 70% |
| frequently | fréquemment | about 70% |
| sometimes | parfois | about 50% |
| occasionally | occasionnellement | about 30% |
| rarely / seldom | rarement | about 10% |
| hardly ever | presque jamais | about 5% |
| never | jamais | 0% |
The adverb is always placed between the subject and the main verb in affirmative sentences, but after the verb to be.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| I always check my emails before breakfast. | Je vérifie toujours mes e-mails avant le petit-déjeuner. |
| She is usually late. | Elle est habituellement en retard. |
| I don’t usually eat breakfast. | Je n’ai pas l’habitude de prendre de petit-déjeuner. |
| He doesn’t always eat lunch at noon. | Il ne déjeune pas toujours à midi. |
In the negative form, the adverb is placed between the auxiliary don’t/doesn’t and the base verb.
Time expressions related to habit
| English | French |
|---|---|
| every day / week / month / year | tous les jours / chaque semaine / mois / an |
| once a week | une fois par semaine |
| twice a month | deux fois par mois |
| on Mondays | le lundi (habituellement) |
| every other day | un jour sur deux |
| from time to time | de temps en temps |
| on a regular basis | de façon régulière |
Acquired present habit: to be used to
To be used to expresses an already established habit, something you are now accustomed to. This construction is formed with the verb to be conjugated, followed by used to, then a noun, pronoun, or a verb in -ing.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| I am used to getting up early. | J’ai l’habitude de me lever tôt. |
| She is used to the cold. | Elle est habituée au froid. |
| They are used to him. | Ils sont habitués à lui. |
| I was used to waking up at 7 am. | J’avais l’habitude de me réveiller à 7 h. (au passé) |
The -ed of used is never pronounced in this construction, whether it is to be used to or used to alone.
Habit being acquired: to get used to
To get used to describes an ongoing adaptation process, the equivalent of s’habituer à in French, as opposed to to be used to which describes an already acquired state.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| I’m getting used to the heat. | Je m’habitue à la chaleur. |
| She got used to speaking English at work. | Elle a pris l’habitude de parler anglais au travail. |
| Don’t worry, he will get used to it. | Ne t’inquiète pas, il s’y habituera. |
Past finished habit: used to
Used to, directly followed by the infinitive without to be, describes a past habit or state that no longer exists at the time of speaking. This construction marks a clean break with the current situation.
| Form | Construction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | subject + used to + infinitive | I used to play the guitar. |
| Negative | subject + didn’t use to + infinitive | I didn’t use to like coffee. |
| Interrogative | did + subject + use to + infinitive? | Did you use to live here? |
The d in used disappears in the negative and interrogative forms, because the auxiliary did already carries the past tense mark.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| I used to live in Paris. | J’habitais à Paris. (ce n’est plus le cas) |
| He used to smoke. | Il fumait avant. (il a arrêté) |
| I used to speak German very well. | Avant, je parlais très bien allemand. (plus maintenant) |
Would: the other way to talk about a past habit
Would, followed by the infinitive, also expresses a past habit, but only for a repeated action, never for a state or situation. This is the key difference from used to, which covers both.
| English | French | Used to possible? |
|---|---|---|
| Every summer, we would go to the beach. | Chaque été, nous allions à la plage. | Yes: we used to go |
| When I was young, I used to live in London. | Quand j’étais jeune, j’habitais à Londres. | No: would cannot replace used to here (state) |
The trap to remember: would is never used with a stative verb (live, be, have meaning possession, like, know). I would live in London to express a past habit would be incorrect; only used to works in this case. However, for a repeated action like go, play, visit, or eat, would and used to are interchangeable.
Comparison table of the three used constructions
| Construction | Meaning | Followed by | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| used to | Past finished habit | infinitive | I used to smoke. |
| to be used to | Acquired present habit | noun / -ing | I am used to the noise. |
| to get used to | Habit being acquired | noun / -ing | I’m getting used to it. |
Vocabulary and idiomatic expressions for habit
| English | French |
|---|---|
| a habit | une habitude |
| a routine | une routine |
| to have a habit of | avoir l’habitude de, avoir tendance à |
| to be in the habit of | avoir pour habitude de |
| to make it a habit to | se faire un devoir, une habitude de |
| to fall into a habit | prendre une habitude (souvent négative) |
| to break a habit | se défaire d’une habitude |
| to kick a habit | arrêter une mauvaise habitude (familier) |
| out of habit | par habitude |
| force of habit | l’habitude, la force de l’habitude |
| a creature of habit | une personne d’habitudes, routinière |
| English | French |
|---|---|
| She has a habit of leaving things until the last minute. | Elle a l’habitude de tout laisser à la dernière minute. |
| I locked the door out of habit. | J’ai verrouillé la porte par habitude. |
| He’s trying to break the habit of biting his nails. | Il essaie de se défaire de l’habitude de se ronger les ongles. |
| My grandfather is a creature of habit. | Mon grand-père est routinier. |
In summary
Describing a habit in English requires choosing the right construction according to the timing and nature of the habit: the simple present with a frequency adverb for a current routine, to be used to for an already acquired habit, to get used to for an ongoing adaptation, and used to or would for a past, finished habit, keeping in mind that would is limited to repeated actions, never to states.
