Used to – would If we say something used to happen we are talking about repeated events or actions in the past, usually things that happened a long time ago and are now finished. To express this we can use either used to or would.

People used to travel on horseback. People would travel on horseback. Of course not any more !

People used to send letters with pigeons. People would send letters with pigeons. Of course not any more !

When I was young I used to play with my toys. When I was young I would play with my toys. Of course I no longer play with toys !

If you want to talk about states in the past, you must use used to, you cannot use would. Beckham used to live in a small town in England. Can we use 'would' instead of 'used to'here? No, we can't, because 'living in England wasn't repeated again and again and again. It's simply a situation in the past. Therefore, only 'used to' is good in this sentence.

When Hidayet was at high school, he used to play basketball every day." Here, we're talking about playing basketball every day'. This is an action that was repeated many times, so we can also say: "When he was at school, he would play basketball every day". 'Used to' and 'would' are both good here, and the meaning is the same.

Brad Pitt used to be poor when he was in his twenties. He used to / would work at restaurants as a dishwasher.

We only use 'would' to describe actions or situations that were repeated again and again and again... But we use 'used to' for any extended action or situation in the past.