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

Used to, Be Used to, Get Used to

Used to

We use “used to” when referring to past habits or states which are no longer true in the present.

Formation: Subject + used to + base form of verb

Examples:

  1. Affirmative: I used to play basketball every day. (Meaning: I don’t play basketball now.)
  2. Negative: He didn’t use to like coffee. (Meaning: He likes coffee now.)
  3. Interrogative: Did you use to have long hair? (Questioning about a past state.)

Be used to

We use “be used to” to express that a person is familiar with a situation or something is not new or strange to them.

Formation: Subject + am/is/are + used to + noun / verb-ing

Examples:

  1. Affirmative: She is used to waking up early. (Meaning: Waking up early is normal for her.)
  2. Negative: We are not used to eating spicy food. (Meaning: Eating spicy food is strange or unusual for us.)
  3. Interrogative: Is he used to the cold weather? (Questioning about familiarity with the situation.)

Get used to

We use “get used to” to express the process of becoming familiar with a new situation.

Formation: Subject + get/gets/got + used to + noun / verb-ing

Examples:

  1. Affirmative: They are getting used to living in the city. (Meaning: They are in the process of adjusting to city life.)
  2. Negative: I can’t get used to driving on the right. (Meaning: I find it difficult to adjust to driving on the right.)
  3. Interrogative: Did you get used to wearing glasses? (Questioning about the adjustment to a new situation.)
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