1. He didn't used to smoke.
2. He didn't use to smoke.
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Q1: #2 seem to be used. How do you pronounce 'use to'? Do you pronounce 'used to' and 'use to' in the same way.
Q2: Does the sentence mean that he didn't smoke before, but that he smokes now?
#2 is incorrect; #1 is correct.
The verb needs to be in past tense -- used.
When you pronounce "used to..." the d and t get pushed together. It sounds like "use to" but the spelling needs the d.
Thank you. I found the follwoing in Cambridge Dictionary. Is the follwing explanation based on Briticsh English? In American English, is it different?
The negative of used to is most commonly didn’t use(d) to. Sometimes we write it with a final -d, sometimes not. Both forms are common, but many people consider the form with the final -d to be incorrect, and you should not use it in exams:
It didn’t use to be so crowded in the shops as it is nowadays.
I didn’t used to like broccoli when I was younger, but I love it now. (Don’t use this form in exams.)
In very formal styles, we can use the negative form used not to:
She used not to live as poorly as she does now.
Q1: In both sentences, 'used to' and 'use to' are pronounced the same way. The correct pronunciation is "yoost tuh". It is important to note that 'used to' is the grammatically correct form, while 'use to' is a more informal variation commonly used in spoken English.
Q2: Yes, both sentences imply that he didn't smoke in the past but now he does. The phrase 'used to' or 'use to' is used to talk about past habits or states that are no longer true. So in this context, both sentences convey the same meaning.