How do you used to feel before?
How did you use to feel before?
Do both questions ask about the past? Do they mean the same? Are they both correct?
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The correct syntax is:
How did you use to feel?
There are three ways of asking this question in reference to the past:
- How did you feel? (generally)
- How were you feeling? (at that time)
- How did you use to feel? (and no longer do)
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Thanks for making it clear. What if we use "before" into the question like "How do you used to feel before?" does it make sense? or does it mean we're asking someone how that person used to feel before. Would it be grammatical if we use "before" in it? – arm May 29 '14 at 18:04
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First of all, there is no "do" - it's "did" because it always refers to the past. Similarly, introducing "before" would be redundant since it also reinforces the past. In that case, I would just use the simple past: How did you feel before? – CocoPop May 29 '14 at 19:19
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@CocoPop With 'used to feel,' I don't think the assumption is that the feeling has ended, just that something about the situation changed. Example: Alice: I get so upset when Bill's cheats on me. Conrad: How did you use to feel about it, before you were married? Alice: I felt the same way. – Merk May 29 '14 at 19:46
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1@Merk To me the use of "used to" is prompted by the fact that the situation is no longer valid. At least in my mind (and I could be wrong), "I used to like him" means unequivocally that I no longer do. In your example, "before" is necessary as a temporal referent for "being married" - not for the "used to" portion of the question. These are two separate elements, the original question "how did you use to feel about it" and an afterthought for clarification "before you were married." If they were combined into one question, I would simply say "How did you feel about it before you were married?" – CocoPop May 30 '14 at 01:30