hey Lindsay how are you awesome Michelle how was your weekend how's everything
uh yeah everything was good I was just telling you how I came back I was in Maryland with my
family and so it was kind of a lot of traveling uh just getting back into the New York area how
about you how was your weekend oh so good I'm always outside on the weekends trying to just
enjoy being outdoors the absolute absolute opposite of what we do every day inside
podcasting so it was good no complaints Michelle no complaints good good good good uh do you have
a question to ask me Lindsay I do here's my question is Jessica coming over to our party
um no I don't know she didn't tell me didn't you ask I did but you wouldn't tell me all right
little role play Jessica jeez flaky right flaky loud Jessica little role play to start us up no
Jessica is not playing but um okay but we have a listener question today about Denon and wouldn't
um and this is a really good one I'm excited to jump into this today a grammar episode I'm excited
here we go should I go ahead and read the question please all right this was on YouTube so hey guys
how's it going I'm Ariel David from PL Brazil I'm a big fan of Euler's English I listen to you guys
every day and your podcast is basically the only one I listen to because I think it's the best well
Michelle that's fantastic thank you so I have a question for you and I'd love you to answer me in
an episode uh the question is how do I know when to use wood or used to or the simple past tense
I never know which one to use for example I've known her since I was a kid but I didn't talk
to her that much or I wouldn't talk to her that much or I didn't used to talk to her that much
thank you so much for answering and take care oh wow that's a good one there's a lot in there so
many good questions kind of packed into one yes um so what are we going to address today Michelle
what are we going to focus on today and then maybe in another episode we'll go into something
else yes well first um because our listener also asked about use too I did want to direct
um them to the IELTS energy podcast episode 989 which is grammar should you say it used to or
used to so definitely that's a really good place to start with those two but we can go dig deeper
into didn't used to um in another in another episode so we're gonna Focus today on wouldn't
versus didn't because I think that that's a good first step as far as you know this question goes
and really focusing this episode so um I would like to go through the examples that the listener
gave okay in the question okay could you read that all right Michelle here we go here's the
first one I've known her since I was a kid but I didn't talk to her that much right okay so what
are we really focusing on here in our delivery of this sentence we're not really focusing on
why it's just kind of a fact okay ever since I was a kid but I didn't talk to her that much it's just
a fact okay versus I've known her since I was a kid but I wouldn't talk to her that much how is
this different Michelle so this seems almost like you refused or like you know or there was maybe
a reason you didn't talk to her that much right like it's it's a little bit deeper it's not just
a fact it almost sounds like there's something behind it to me at least yeah or not it's an
ongoing habit right and there might be a reason for that ongoing habit the fact of the habit of
not talking to her that much right Michelle right right right exactly so we're going to talk more
about this and then we're gonna skip used to but we will we will get to it another time okay
um so let's let's do a couple other examples so she didn't go to sleep um so this just means she
just did not go to sleep so let's give an example a little role play all right here we go Michelle
I am exhausted I was up all night why well the baby just didn't go to sleep okay now that's just
a fact right the baby just didn't go to sleep now she wouldn't go to sleep so wouldn't to me sounds
more like uh it was more difficult sounds more like a pointing in my mind what what what the
difference is it were pointing to like the baby's will like the will of the baby right did not want
to you just will not go to sleep right right right and of course the baby isn't thinking
that deeply so didn't versus wood in here you know it's kind of you know it you could use either one
but just one it has a little bit of a different more of a free will idea yeah yeah as the baby
um so here we go Lindsay let's go I'm exhausted I was up all night
why well the baby just wouldn't go to sleep okay so again as you said here the baby kind of refused
the baby exercised her Free Will and said I will not go to sleep right I'm sure all parents in the
world are really empathizing right now Michelle exactly exactly all right so where are we gonna
take this next because we've made it clear kind of the differences are subtle but they're there
right right right exactly so again just in general this whole didn't versus wouldn't it's just kind
of a a different feel right so like if I said oh I let's go let's just go back quickly to that
example from the beginning with Jessica I think that's really where we're gonna get a good grasp
of this so let's just could we read through yeah that's a good idea Michelle let's do that again
is Jessica coming over to our party I don't know if she didn't tell me didn't you ask I did but she
wouldn't tell me yeah it's different it really is so how's it different again didn't tell me
it's just a fact yes or no did she tell you or not she didn't tell me right but then you said
well didn't you ask right because you don't know the information yet right like I said I don't know
she didn't tell me I didn't say for sure that I asked so you said well didn't you ask right
right like because why wouldn't she tell you like if you asked she would have told you so maybe you
didn't ask exactly yeah yeah exactly exactly but then you we did ask right didn't you ask and you
said I did but she wouldn't tell me now this is indicating a little bit more will on Jessica's
part that she didn't want to tell you right she refused to tell you she refused why would she
do that I don't know maybe it's some kind of a surprise party Michelle right there's a surprise
that has to be that has to be it that has to be it right maybe it's a surprise party
um I I um that reminds me reason well I think it was back in the summer we were going to
um our friend's son's birthday party and we're we're in the car and all of a sudden Dan pulls
into just like a random shopping center and he gets this look on his face and I just was like
is this a surprise party because he took me to like a different place that like where we were
going to it would have been for absolutely no occasion but he just like gave me this look and
it turns out that he really was giving me the look because we were late and he was stopping at Dunkin
Donuts to get to get uh coffee and but it was like the funniest moment we were cracking up because
I I was just like what is this a surprise party have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you
I have actually once when I was 14 my friend at the time she threw that for me it was so fun it's
the coolest feeling ever what about you Michelle have you have you done a little a little one just
like at a restaurant with a few friends um yeah it is nice but yeah it's it's just so funny because
you know what the surprise party it's always that there's some fake story about where you're going
and the people have to be really good liars because most of the time I have a hunch that most
people know when there's a surprise party coming most of the time did you know I think I knew did
you I think I knew too so it wasn't really it was an effort it was a good effort yeah yeah yeah
um so yeah um anyway so guys so again wouldn't versus didn't wooden is more like this idea of
Frozen of Frozen of refusing at least on the in the examples that we're focusing on today
um and didn't is more just like factual where I feel wouldn't tell more of a story again we could
come up with a ton of different examples and go through them but this is kind of one of the main
you know things that I think is important between the two for sure and you can add this subtle
difference to your word choice guys you can really talk about what people's intentions are what they
care about or what they're aiming to do or not do right uh yes exactly so should we do one more role
play Let's Do It Michelle here we go in this case we are talking about a travel experience variants
okay all right did you go to the Big Holiday Market when you were in New York last year
no I didn't I wanted to go but my friend wouldn't get up in time and then it was closed she didn't
get up in time well I tried to get her up but she wouldn't get up she was too tired and it ended at
11 A.M so too bad I was really upset about it and I wouldn't talk to her for the rest of the day oh
I didn't know you guys weren't great travel buddies well we didn't used to have problems
but I think that's our last trip together oh the thing is when you travel a lot of times the good
stuff happens early in the morning right like it makes me think did you guys go when you and Dan
were in Tokyo did you go to skiji Fish Market yes okay and what time did you go like three
in the morning or no we didn't we didn't go for like the whole oh the tuna auction did you do
that yes I went when you could still go in and like pop your head in the door and like be in
the tuna auction you can't do that anymore you can't even go to the inner Market anymore but
yeah I gotta I actually didn't go home the night before we were out dancing at a club
crazy otherwise it's just too hard it's just too hard um but that's a good example of one
of the things when you travel you know Sunrise getting to the top of a mountain for Sunrise a
fish market these things happen early and you don't want to miss those experiences right
yeah yeah it's true and and I'm not an early morning person so that's always like that no
that's funny I love it so this is a great example of using these three different ways especially the
didn't and the wouldn't should we go through it Michelle sure let's do it so you asked about the
Holiday Market um and then uh I said no I didn't okay so I I did not that's just the fact right
if I had said wouldn't like that just wouldn't make it would make no sense that would make no
sense yeah that'd be weird and then you said I wanted to go but my friend wouldn't get up in
time so her will her free will she was exercising her choice not to go she didn't want to go right
right right and then you said she didn't get up in time so you're just asking right like kind of
the fact I'm surprised right and then I said I tried to get her up but she wouldn't get up
right so again I'm highlighting right that I was trying but she refused yeah so there we're going
back to her like her what she actually wants to do and doesn't want to do she was too tired and
it ended at 11 A.M too bad I was really upset about it and wouldn't now you use your own free
will and you would not talk to her for the rest of the day right oh dramatic jeez right right
and then you said I didn't know you guys weren't great travel buddies so yeah here you wouldn't you
couldn't say I wouldn't know no but we could do another episode on you know I I wouldn't
yeah I'll using wooden in all these different ways right again there are different meaning like there
are different ways to use wouldn't it but we're just focusing on this one key difference which I
think is super important to understand and kind of nail down yeah and then we just threw in just
for fun and we'll come back to this in another episode they used to how do we say that Michelle
what did we say we didn't used to have problems but I think that's our last trip together so I'm
emphasizing kind of that in the past we didn't have these problems but now we do I think that
one's also a little less common you might have said that at the beginning of the episode right
yeah I think so too I I think that that's one of the main things is that that one is useful
but I I don't know sometimes it sounds kind of funny yeah it sounds weird it's not common but
this is really important guys to know when are you just saying the past tense and when are we using
wood to State someone's opinion someone's feeling someone deciding what they want to do and will do
and won't do right exactly oh my gosh well guys so this was a can be a little bit complicated but we
gave you just one main difference really uh to boil it down to um so but listen for different
contexts but this is a really good question and and try this out when you're when you're talking
about the facts in the past yes and try sending us a question too I love the question guys if you
have a very specific question send it in to Lindsay at allearsenglish.com we want to see
your questions and we want to make an episode based on your specific experience with English
right Michelle we want a specific question yeah yeah absolutely oh my gosh well this was a good
one so uh have a good one Lindsay you you too you have a good day I'll see you next time bye