43 Used to, To be used to, To get used to

The structure Used to is used to talk about habits and customs that were, are or will be familiar to us.

We can use Used to in three different structures which all have a difference in meaning:

1. Used to + infinitive;
2. To be + used to + noun/gerund;
3. To get + used to + noun/gerund.

1. Used to + infinitive
   • You used to water the garden.
   • He used to live in America.
   • Did they use to have sheep?
2. To be used to + noun/gerund
   • I am not used to hurricanes, I live in Egypt.
   • She is used to dry climate.
   • We’ve lived in the jungle for 10 years so we’re used to wild animals.
3. To get + used to + noun/gerund
   • I never got used to living in the southern hemisphere.
   • She is getting used to recycling.
   • They will soon get used to the life in Africa.

With Used to we can speak about our past and present habits and also the things we are getting familiar with at the moment. We use:

1. Used to + infinitive to talk about our past habits that are no longer present in our life;
2. To be used to + noun/gerund to talk about things we are familiar with;
3. To get + used to + noun/gerund to talk about things we are becoming accustomed to.

We use the structure Used to to talk about habits and customs that were, are or will be familiar to us. When we use Used to in different structures, we get different meanings.

• Used to + infinitive = Used to talk about habits someone had in the past and are now finished (e.g. I used to work at a cafe.);
• To be + used to + noun/gerund = Used to talk about habits that are so familiar to someone that are no longer considered strange or new (e.g. I am used to using chopsticks.);
• To get + used to + noun/gerund = Used to talk about habits that were considered strange or new by someone that is now getting accustomed to them (e.g. I am getting used to working in Spain.).

For example:
— “I used to work at a cafe.” = I don’t work there anymore.
— “I am used to using chopsticks.” = I can use chopsticks now, I couldn’t in the past.
— “I am getting used to working in Spain.” = I am getting accustomed to working in Spain.

Let’s revise this content within the [Form] section. Take a look at the [Example] section that shows its use within a context.