Look at these examples to see how used to, get used to and be used to are used.
I used to want to be a lawyer but then I realised how hard they work!
How's Boston? Are you used to the cold weather yet?
No matter how many times I fly, I'll never get used to take-off and landing!
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Used to + infinitive and be/get used to + -ing look similar but they have very different uses.
used to
We use used to + infinitive to talk about a past situation that is no longer true. It tells us that there was a repeated action or state in the past which has now changed.
She used to be a long-distance runner when she was younger.
I didn't use to sleep very well, but then I started doing yoga and it really helps.
Did you use to come here as a child?
be used to and get used to
Be used to means 'be familiar with' or 'be accustomed to'.
She's used to the city now and doesn't get lost any more.
He wasn't used to walking so much and his legs hurt after the hike.
I'm a teacher so I'm used to speaking in public.
We use get used to to talk about the process of becoming familiar with something.
I'm finding this new job hard but I'm sure I'll get used to it soon.
It took my mother years to get used to living in London after moving from Pakistan.
I'm getting used to the noise now. I found it really stressful when I first moved in.
Be used to and get used to are followed by a noun, pronoun or the -ing form of a verb, and can be used about the past, present or future.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
Hi hardikpatild,
Yes! Here are some examples.
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi soniariverofdez,
Yes, be used to can be followed by the gerund! But it's not the only possible structure. It can also be followed by:
Does that make sense? There are some more examples of these structures in the activities above.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi susanavali,
In the first sentence you are describing an repeated/typical/normal action in the past which is no longer true. Thus 'used to' is needed. In this context you need a negative as the word 'much' is generally used in questions and negatives; also, the contrast with getting positive feedback now makes it plain that it was different in the past. Thus 'didn't use to' is the answer.
In the second example, we are talking about trying to accept something which was difficult (long hours). The speaker tried to accept the long hours as normal but failed. Thus 'couldn't get used to' is the correct form.
In the third example the meaning is similar to the first. We have a regular past action (playing the guitar) which is no longer true. Hence, 'used to play' is needed.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Memmedeva Nezrin,
I'm afraid you're mistaken. I've checked both tasks and the answers to the first questions are used to work (task 1) and got used to (task 2).
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team