Used to, Be Used to & Get Used to

Used to or Not Used to?

Three very useful constructions in the English language contain used to. They all are used with completely different meanings and this is what can make students feel a little worried or reluctant to use them. Hopefully my explanation will be clear and help you when using and understanding the usage. Three very useful constructions in the English language contain used to. They all are used with completely different meanings and this is what can make students feel a little worried or reluctant to use them. Hopefully my explanation will be clear and help you when using and understanding the usage.

We’re going to look at:

• Used to + verb – past habits and states
• Be used to + noun / verb+ING – being comfortable with something
• Get used to + noun / verb+ING – the process of becoming comfortable

Used to – Past Habits and States

Used to basically means “I did it in the past, but I don’t now.”

We can use used to to talk about our jobs, place of living, possessions, and hobbies or actions we no longer do or have now in the present time.

Example:
I used to be an office manager – I am not now, I’m a teacher.
I used to live in Moscow – I don’t live there now, I live in Lviv.
I used to play football – It was my hobby when I was younger, but not now.
I used to have an iPhone – It was a possession I had years ago, but now I don’t have one.

Note: We can only use used to if we did something more than once. So if you played tennis once in your life, you didn’t used to play tennis, but you played once or tried tennis once.

To Be Used To – Comfortable with Something

To be used to basically means “I am comfortable with something now, after it was new.”

Imagine you start a new job. It’s not going to be very easy at the start. After a couple of months you will be used to it – comfortable with everything.

Examples:
At first waking up early to start my job was hard, but now I am used to it. – It’s no problem now.
There were lots of different changes when I moved schools, but now I am used to them. – At first it was hard and now you feel comfortable.

Notice that after am / is / are used to we normally use:

• a noun – I’m used to the cold.
• verb+ING – I’m used to getting up early.

To Get Used To – The Process

To get used to is the process of becoming comfortable. So before you are used to something, you have to get used to it.

Let’s imagine you moved to a new country. At first everything would be new and you would need some time to process everything. This process is getting used to something. After this process finishes you then are used to it.

Examples:
The hardest part about moving country is the food. I am getting used to the different times they eat their meals here. – The process is still happening and you don’t feel fully comfortable yet.
I got used to driving on the other side of the road, but I am still getting used to the different signs I see when I drive. – The process of driving on the other side of the road is over and you are used to it. You still don’t feel comfortable with the signs, so this process is still ongoing.