Rules for using “Used to. Difference between “get used to” and “be used to” Questions with the construction “be used to”

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accustomed
(used)

Collocations
used to — to be accustomed to something; get used to something; often did sth.
used towel — used towel
used to be — a person who once held a prominent position
be used to — have a habit; be used to
get used to — addicted; get used to
not used to — unaccustomed
use up — use up
re use — to reuse
in use — in use, used
no use — useless; nothing
Examples

I used to bike to work.

I rode my bike to work.

I used to see him often.

I used to meet him often.

She used to have long hair.

She used to have long hair.

I used to wear my hair long.

I used to have long hair.

I used to be a heavy smoker.

I used to be a heavy smoker.

There used to be a house here.

There used to be a house here.

My father used to mend our shoes.

My father used to repair our shoes.

Morphine is used to relieve pain.

Morphine is used to relieve pain.

For those learning English, it can be difficult to master the “used to, be/get used to” rule. Many people simply confuse similar-sounding designs. To use these phrases correctly, you need to understand what they mean.

Past habits

Expression usedto denotes actions that often happened in the past, but are no longer happening. Usually the construction is translated as “before”, “once upon a time”.

I used to go for a walk every morning. Unfortunately,Ihavenotimenow. - I used to go for a walk every morning. Unfortunately, I don't have time for this now.

He used to be a shop-assistant. Nowisamillionaire. - He was once a salesman, but now he is a millionaire.

In this case we are only talking about past habits, so the verb cannot be used in the present tense. In other words, you cannot say “use to”. The rules of use require the verb to be placed in the Past Simple. If you need to talk about habits that exist at the moment, use the Present Simple.

I used to eat bananas for breakfast. - EarlierIateonbreakfastbananas.

Iusuallyeatbananasforbreakfast. - I usually eat bananas for breakfast.

Please note: after the particle to is always used as an infinitive. Other forms of the verb are not allowed here.

My sister used to be a naughty child. - Mysisterwasnaughtychild.

Let's continue to look at the rule. Usedto used not only in affirmative sentences. We can safely construct a negative or interrogative sentence.

In the question, the first place is given did, followed by subject and use to. The past tense is taken over by the auxiliary verb, so the initial form should be used useto.

Didsheusetowakeupearlywhenshewenttoschool? - Did she have a habit of getting up early when she went to school?

Did they use to spend vacation together? - EarlierTheycarried outtogethervacation?

In negative sentences, a particle is added to the auxiliary verb not, A useto also placed in the initial form.

I didn’t use to smoke when I was a schoolboy. - INotsmoked, WhenwalkedVschool.

Shedidn'ttusetoplaygolf. - She hasn't played golf before.

Used to or would?

When it comes to old habits, Sometimes they use another expression - would.

Kate would go to a swimming pool once a week. - EarlierKatewentVpoolonceVa week.

Remember an important rule: usedto can indicate both an action and a state.

Action: Myparentsdidn'ttusetogotoagym. - My parents never went to the gym before.

State: John didn'tusetoloveRockmusic. - John once didn’t like rock music.

Would only indicates a repeated action in the past. It is not used to describe a condition.

My friend used to go shopping every weekend. Myfriendwouldgoshoppingeveryweekend. - My friend used to go shopping every weekend.

But you can't say: John would love Rock music. In this sentence you should use usedto.

Would can also describe actions that occurred from time to time (often with an element of nostalgia). A good translation in this case is the word “happened.”

InmychildhoodIwouldgoforapicnicalmosteveryweekend. - As a child, I used to go on a picnic almost every weekend.

If you do not specify the frequency of the action, use usedto, not would.

Whenhewasachildheusedtowakeuplate. - He woke up late when he was a child (general situation, regularity not specified).

Whenhewasachildhewouldwakeuplateatweekends. - When he was a child, he woke up late on the weekends (how often the action was performed is indicated).

Have a habit of doing something

Let's look at one more rule. Used to often confused with to be used to. However, they have completely different meanings. Expression tobeusedto means “to have the habit of doing something”, and it can be replaced by a synonymous construction tobeaccustomedto. Previously, a person did not do this, but now his lifestyle has changed.

Heisusedtogettingupat 9am. - He is used to getting up at 9 am (he didn’t do that before).

Since we are talking about a habit that a person has at the moment, the verb tobe It’s logical to put it in the present tense. For past habits, use an expression we already know usedto/didn"t use to. Compare:

My brother didn't use to eat healthy food. - MyBrotherearlierNotateusefulfood.

Now he is used to eating healthy food. - NowHeused to itThere isusefulfood.

Don't forget to put the particle to- there is no expression useddoing. The rule also requires the use of a gerund rather than an infinitive.

Jesse is used to making his bed in the morning. - Jesseused to itcoverbedByin the morning.

I am used to go to school on my foot. - II'm used to itwalkVschoolon foot.

Get used to something

Phrase togetusedto very close in value to the previous design. But there is a certain connotation of meaning - “get used to”, “get used to”, “adapt”. In this case, the synonymous construction will be tobecomeaccustomedto.

It is difficult to get used to a new climate. - TOnewclimatedifficultadapt.

Here we are talking about a habit that is just beginning to form.

He is getting used to doing the laundry twice a week. - Heaccustomsmyselfwashclothestwicebehinda week.

After the particle to a gerund should also be included.

TheyaregettingusedtospeakingChinese - They get used to speaking Chinese.

In what grammatical tense should I put getusedto? The rule allows you to use any tense that makes sense.

Ittookhersometimetogetusedtonewtraditions. - It took some time before she got used to the new traditions.

In a few weeks you will get used to the local cuisine. - Througha coupleweeksYouyou'll get used to itTolocalkitchen.

Exercises

We have analyzed the use in detail usedto/beusedto/getusedto. The rule separates these constructions in meaning and grammatically. Practice using them in practice. Insert suitable words into the text. Remember to choose the right time.

1. Jane -_ smoke a lot. Then she quit it. - Jen used to smoke a lot. But then she quit smoking.
2. I see you -_ new rules. Keep it up! - I see you are getting used to the new rules. Keep it up!
3. How long did it take him to _ living in the suburbs? How long did it take him to get used to life in the suburbs?
4. You_be very hardworking. You have become a lazybones! -You were such a hard worker. You have turned into a lazy person!
5. We_speaking two languages. - We are used to speaking two languages.
6. He_coming in time. - He taught himself to be on time.
7. I_drinking tea. Coffee is bad for my health. - I have become a habit of drinking tea. Coffee is bad for me.
8. Why don’t you _ putting fewer spices in your food. I can't eat it! - Why don’t you train yourself to put less spices in your food! I can't eat this!
9. I _ sweeping the floor every day. - I'm used to sweeping the floor every day.
10. I_his pronunciation. Does anyone understand what he says? - I can’t get used to his pronunciation. Does anyone even understand what he's saying?
11. Monika _ be a doctor, but she has already retired. - Monica once worked as a doctor. But she is already a pensioner.
12. We _ ​​be friends. Then something went wrong. - We were friends. But then something went wrong.

Revolutions used to do And be used to do can often be heard in the speech of heroes of films or TV series, as well as read in the text of a book or article. These constructions are constantly used by native speakers. English language learners often confuse these expressions because they sound almost the same. Therefore, in the article we will clearly demonstrate the difference between the designs used to do And be used to do.

Used to do. It was different before!

We use used to do when we talk about old habits, states and repeated actions that happened in the past. All these habits and states are no longer there. Therefore this expression can only be used in the past tense – used to. To Russian used to usually translated with a verb in the past tense. Sometimes they also add the word “before” to the translation to emphasize that this is no longer the case.

I used to eat a lot of chocolate but now I am on a diet. – Earlier I ate a lot of chocolate, but now I'm on a diet. (habit in the past)

When I worked as a postman, I used to get up early. - When I worked as a postman, I got up early in the morning. (regular action in the past)

She used to be very busy but now she is retired. – Earlier she was very busy, but now she is retired. (state)

Expression used to do something It is usually used in affirmative sentences, but you can also find it in negation or question. Negative sentences have one feature: an auxiliary verb and a particle ( did not) in most cases are replaced by the word never(never). In the table you will see how sentences with the construction are built used to do.

He used to live alone. – Earlier He lived one.

I did not use to like him but now I do. - He told me I didn't like it before, but now I like it.

I never used to watch TV. - I never watched TV earlier.

Did you use to live in London? - You lived before in London?

Remember that the expression used to do refers only to the past tense. If you want to talk about habits and regular activities in the present, use the tense.

The expression used to do there are several analogues: and . True, with would There is one caveat. Would shows only regular actions and habits in the past, we cannot use this verb to describe the state.

When I was young, I used to play / would play / played with dolls. – When I was little, I played with dolls.

I used to/would live near Hyde Park. - I lived before near Hyde Park.

Be used to do. Already used to it

Expression be used to do means that we are used to something. For us this is no longer new, not unusual, not strange. This construction is translated into Russian as the word “get used to.” Synonym be used to do is the expression be accustomed to.

I found Vietnamese cuisine quite strange at first but now I am used to it. = I found Vietnamese cuisine quite strange at first but now I am accustomed to it. – At first, Vietnamese cuisine seemed quite strange to me, but now I used to it To her.

He was not used to take an umbrella every morning when he moved to London. = He was not accustomed to taking an umbrella every morning when he moved to London. - He I wasn't used to taking I carried an umbrella with me every morning when I moved to London.

Unlike used to, be used to can be used in present, past and future tenses. To do this you need to change the form of the verb to be. Because there is a verb to be, then we don't need an auxiliary verb do (did).

He is used to stay away from home. - He used to being there away from home.

Are they used to the cold weather? - They got used to it for cold weather?

I am not used to him and his behavior. - I not used to it to him and his behavior.

He was not used to driving on the left side of the road. - To him it was unusual to drive on the left side of the road.

Besides the expression be used to, there is another option - get used to. Be used to shows an action that has already been completed, that is, we are either used to it or not. Get used to demonstrates the process of habituation, that is, now the person is trying to master something that is new or unusual for him.

She started working at night and is still getting used to sleeping during the day. – She started working at night and is still gets used to sleeping during the day.

She had to get used to living in a smaller house. - She had to get used to living in a smaller house.

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Test

Expressions used to do and be used to do in English

The construction Used to is used very often in English. Its peculiarity is that it is always in the past tense, that is, in the Past Simple, because of this it is virtually impossible to make a mistake in its conjugation.

In addition, the construction Used to does not mean “to use”, but repeated actions, moreover, in the past. Today we will analyze this phrase piece by piece and find out where and under what conditions it can be used in speech.

To begin with, pay attention to examples of some sentences with this phrase:

• She usedtobe shy. — She used to be shy (Used to be shy).
• Tom used to - Tom is used to smoking
• Mary used to help her granny when she visited her. —MaryI'm used to itto helphisgrandma, Whenvisitedher.

The translation of this construction in sentences is based more on intuition than on accuracy. Agree, Used to in these sentences can be translated as “used to, often happened, often happened like this,” etc. And all because this construction means habitual recurring events in the past, but which no longer have a place to be in the present.

That is, we will translate these phrases: She used to be timid (but now she’s not). Tom used to smoke (not anymore).

If, speaking about these sentences, she would still be timid, or Tom would still smoke, then the construction Used to is no longer suitable. It will also not be suitable if the action happened only once - Tom smoked once. So, Used to is only used in events that were repeated in the past, but which no longer exist.

Let's summarize!

Let's summarize our rule and draw a conclusion.

The Used to construction is used when we are talking about actions that were repeated many times in the past, but now these actions no longer exist.

The Used to clause is not used if the action is still happening; if the action was one-time.

This phrase has three forms of formation: affirmative, negative and interrogative:

• Tomusedtosmoke. — Tom used to smoke (Tom had the habit of smoking)
• Tomdidn't"tusetosmoke. — Tom did not have the habit of smoking.
• DidTomusetosmoke? — Did Tom have a habit of smoking before?

There are three main points to pay attention to:

• The Used to construction does not change according to persons and numbers.
• Used to has no present or future tense, only events that are repeated in the past but no longer occur in the present.
• With this structure, action verbs and state verbs are used.

The Used to construction can be replaced by Would + infinitive, but this structure is only used with verbs that mean actions. For example:

• I wouldvisit my aunt every morning = I used to visit my aunt every morning. - EarlierIvisitedmyaunteachmorning.

State verbs cannot be used in this meaning: I would be shy. You can only: I used to be shy. (be is a state verb).

There are some phrases that differ from Used to, but they are often confused:

The construction Be used to means “to have the habit of doing something, to be accustomed to doing something.” This construction is also used only in the Past Simple:

• My sister is used to getting up early. - MysisterI'm used to itget upearly.
• He is used to do his homework after school. - Heused to itdohomework after school.
• We are used to come on time. - Wegot used to itcomeduring.

Construction Get used to - get used to something, get used to doing something, gradually get used to it. This phrase is used in different tenses:

• The present: Tom is getting used to travel on his own. (Tom gets used to ittravelone).
• Past: My grandparents got used to living there.(My grandparents used to live there).Did you get used to eating Japanese food? (Youused to itThere isJapaneseI'm going?)
• Future: He will have to get used toworking every day, without weekends.(He will have to get used to working every day, seven days a week).

Let's summarize where and what structures we use:

• Construction Used to do smth - habitual actions in the past that no longer occur (or would+ infinitive (only with action verbs).
• Version Be used to doing smth - to have the habit of doing something.
• Construction Get used to doing smth - Get used to it.

You see, friends - nothing complicated! Good luck to you!