Grammar: Used to, Be Used to, Get Used to

Please read the first two paragraphs from Grammar: The Subjunctive by way of introduction to this series of blog posts regarding grammar.

Isn't it nice when a language has a grammatical unit that's easy and straightforward to understand? This is the case with these three commonly confused phrases (making one wonder why they are commonly confused among ESL learners to start with).


"Used to", "be used to" and "get used to" are concepts that should be mastered at B2 level, so if you are planning on taking an English examination at that level (ECCE, LRN, ESB, MSU-CELC, FCE, or even IELTS), you need to clarify the difference between them and learn to use them correctly.

Used to 

"Used to" is first dealt with by teachers when talking about past habits. Students learn that there are three different ways how to express a past habit and this is one of them (the other two being the use of the Simple Past tense, and "would").

Remember four things about "used to"

a) it means "I was in the habit of doing" or "this is what I did in the past on a regular basis"

b) it is used with a verb in the bare infinitive afterwards (in other words, the basic form of a verb without any endings or tense changes or helping verbs)

c) the words "used to" don't change at all in affirmative sentences (ones that aren't questions or don't have the verb in the negative in them)

d) "used to" becomes "use to" in questions or negative sentences (in other words, if the sentence has "not" or "did" in it)

Examples:

• When I was younger, I used to do my homework either seated on my bed or on the floor. Now I sit at a desk most of the time. 

(This is an affirmative sentence; the bare infinitive "do" follows "used to")

• Did you use to go out every Friday night when you were a teenager?

(This is a question -- an interrogative sentence -- so "used to" becomes "use to" and a verb in the infinitive follows as usual)

• They didn't use to go to work by bus, but now they use public transport almost daily.

(We have a negative sentence here, so "use to" is used before an infinitive verb)

Don't confuse the the noun "use" with the verb form "use to" in questions and negatives.

Examples:

• What's the use of doing this chapter when we know it won't be on the test? 

("use" is a noun here, that's why the article "the" precedes it)

• Why did you use to cover that chapter when you knew it was never going to be tested?

("use" is followed by "to" and a verb in the infinitive; it's also an interrogative sentence)

Although a number of people find that placing a "d" at the end of "use to" is acceptable in questions or negative sentences, it is not grammatically correct. So, when speaking you may use it as part of your everyday communication, but never use it on an English exam because you never know when you might land on a conservative examiner who goes by textbook grammatical conventions. Personally speaking, I view "used to" in questions or negative sentences as an error so it's quite likely that there are more like-minded folks like me out there, so to be on the safe side, don't use it on an exam.

Be Used to and Get Used to

You should see these two together as accomplices because although they have a different meaning, the verb that follows them is always in the gerund (the -ing form of the verb)

"Be used to" means that we are familiar with something, have become accustomed to it because we have done it several times or habitually.

"Get used to" means that we are slowly becoming accustomed to something as time goes by but haven't become habituated to it yet. 

Because both of these phrases begin with verbs that change according to the tense we need to put them in, "be" and "get" change, but "used to" doesn't. The verb following "used to" as stated previously is always with an -ing ending.

Examples with "be used to": 

• I'm used to waking up early in the morning. (Present Simple tense)
• I was used to waking up early in the morning. (Past Simple tense)
• I have been used to waking up early in the morning since I started working for that company. (Present Perfect Simple tense)
• I had been used to waking up early but that was before our new neighbors moved in. (Past Perfect Simple tense)
• I will be used to waking up early in the morning once the twins are born. (Future Simple tense)

Examples with "get used to":

• I'm getting used to waking up early in the morning. (Present Continuous tense)
• I got used to waking up early in the morning. (Past Simple tense)
• I have got/gotten used to waking up early in the morning since I started working for that company. (Present Perfect Simple tense)
• I had got/gotten used to waking up early but that was before our new neighbors moved in. (Past Perfect Simple tense)
• I'll get used to waking up early in the morning once the twins are born. (Future Simple tense)

Negative and interrogative sentences show no particularity.

• I'm not used to waking up early.
• Has she got/gotten used to waking up early?

Don't forget to check out the list of grammar points you need to be familiar with before taking a B2-level test and a C2-level test.

Find more grammar help here. 

To Summarize

Affirmative Sentence	Interrogative Sentence	Negative Sentence
Used to + bare infinitive	Use to + bare infinitive	Use to + bare infinitive
Be used to + verb ending in -ing	No change in “used to”	No change in “used to”
Get used to + verb ending in -ing	No change in “used to”	No change in “used to”