era usage

Question

how do you distinguish the phrase, he used to be a good runner , from he was a good runner.

Accepted Answer

Hola Andrew
Just as Marcos has already explained, the phrase "he used to be a good runner" implies that at some point in the past, he had the habit or regular activity of being a good runner, but this may no longer be the case.
On the other hand, "he was a good runner" simply states that, at a specific point in the past, he possessed the quality of being a good runner without implying any change over time.
In summary, "used to be" suggests a past habit or state that may have changed, while "was" describes a past state without indicating a change.
¡Buen finde!
Silvia

Answer

This sounds like a question about English.

If we say “he was a good runner”, it could be used to set the stage of the story and to be a condition that continues into the time of the narrator. Imagine someone in the starting blocks at the beginning of the race. We could say, “He was a good runner. He knew it and he knew it well. But then why did he feel so anxious?”

But “he used to be a good runner” is something that is over with and does not continue into the time of the narrative. “He used to be a good runner. If only he could run now like he could back then! But as it was, he knew that he had lost the race even before it started.”