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Below are past real conditional examples:

Example 1

If my father hit me with a stick, I used to jump and run away.

Example 2

If my father hit me with a stick, I would jump and run away.

What is the difference?

They are both telling a past real condition, right?

Below are past real habit statement examples:

Example 3

When my father hit me with a stick, I used to jump and run away.

Example 4

When my father hit me with a stick, I would jump and run away.

What is the difference?

They are both telling a past habit, right?

vincentlin
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  • This has been asked before. Please do a search for duplicates. – James K Feb 16 '23 at 17:16
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    Would in this sense refers to a habitual action, so it is the same as used to. – Kate Bunting Feb 16 '23 at 18:23
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    So far as I'm concerned, they both "mean" exactly the same. The difference is that the "used to" version is a bit more "relaxed conversational English", and the "would" version is a bit more "literary". – FumbleFingers Feb 16 '23 at 18:59
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    Does this answer your question? Would and used to. Also Past simple vs used to vs would and many more. – FumbleFingers Feb 16 '23 at 19:01
  • @FumbleFingers so the examples 1-4 are all correct? What is the difference between "when" and "if" there? And do "used" to and "would" mean almost the same in "When/if" my father hit me with a stick, I used to/would jump and run away? – vincentlin Feb 17 '23 at 00:29
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    I already said "used to" and "would" are slightly different "registers". I can't see even the slightest difference between using "when" and "if" in this exact context, because regardless of whether it's "used to" or "would", that "habitual reaction" clause tells us this isn't a situation where it's irrelevant that "if" usually implies *but possibly not. So there's simply no scope* for different meanings there. It's not like, say, *If / When you do this, I'll do that*, which obviously have two very different meanings. – FumbleFingers Feb 17 '23 at 01:15
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    ...you should also remember that just as I wouldn't see any difference between "if" and "when" in your examples *as a reader, I'd be quite capable of writing* either version myself in a similar context. So if anyone else assures you there *is* a difference, you need to bear in mind that they may well be ascribing some kind of significance to a writer's choice of phrasing that the writer himself doesn't recognize! And almost nothing about language reflects any underlying "truth". Words only mean what people say they mean, and *not all Anglophones agree on everything*. – FumbleFingers Feb 17 '23 at 01:23
  • @FumbleFingers Thank you for your explanation. Can you explain the following sentence in plain English, that "habitual reaction" clause tells us this isn't a situation where it's irrelevant that "if" usually implies but possibly not. "? I cannot comprehend it well, thank you. – vincentlin Feb 17 '23 at 01:30
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    The way the "reaction / result" (I jumped and ran away) is worded (whether it's "used to" or "would") implies this happened regularly / routinely / often. Since that's a reaction to being hit by the father, it follows that the father doing that was also "routine". Consequently there's no scope for the "if / when" choice to imply anything different. Well, maybe someone could claim that "if" implies less frequently than "when". But then someone else might claim the opposite! – FumbleFingers Feb 17 '23 at 05:08

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