Would vs.

Used To
Would
'Would' is a modal verb (also known as modals). Modals give additional information
about the function of the main verb. 'Would' is used to talk about willingness,
habits, offers, requests, etc. It is known as the past tense of the modal 'will.'
Take a look at the following examples:

I would like to visit this museum.

They would try to find your purse.

Used to
'Used to' is a phrase and a semi-modal that indicates a past fact, habit, or action. Have
a look:

I used to help my father with the woodwork.

He used to watch cartoons every Sunday morning.

Talking about Past Habits

Habits are routine actions. Habits tend to repeat themselves. Past habits are routines
and repeated actions that occurred in the past but no longer happen. We use 'would'
and 'used to' to talk about these habits; however, there is a distinction that requires your
attention:

● 'Would' only talks about past habits when the time frame is specified in the
sentence. Have a look:
I would play Basketball when I was 10.
Here, we are indicating 'when' this habit happened.
When I was younger, I would watch my favorite movie on repeat.

We can use stative verbs with 'would' only when we have a conditional sentence. For
example:
I would understand if you explain it to me.
I would love to join you, if you like.

Talking about Past States

When we want to talk about a situation or a certain state in the past, we use 'used to.'
Note that we cannot use 'would' in this case since we are using stative verbs such as
love, feel, be, and know. For example:

When I was younger, I used to live in California.

When I was younger, I would live in California