Tenses & Verb Forms

Used to / Be used to / Get used to

2 min read

Used to, be used to, and get used to look similar, but they have very different meanings. The key difference is between past habits and being comfortable with something.

1. Used to → past habits or states (no longer true)

Use used to + base verb to talk about things that were true in the past but are not true now.

I used to live in London. (now I don’t)
She used to play tennis every weekend.
We used to be close friends.

2. Be used to → be comfortable with something

Use be used to + noun / -ing to say that something is normal or familiar.

I am used to waking up early.
She is used to the noise.
They are used to working long hours.

Important: after “be used to” and “get used to”, use -ing, not the base verb.

❌ I am used to wake up early.
✅ I am used to waking up early.

3. Get used to → become comfortable

Use get used to + noun / -ing when the situation is changing.

I am getting used to waking up early.
She got used to the weather.
You will get used to working here.

Key differences

Used to → past (no longer true)
Be used to → already comfortable
Get used to → becoming comfortable

💡 Tip

Used to = past life
Be used to = OK now
Get used to = becoming normal
used to + base verb: I used to live
be / get used to + -ing: I'm used to living

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 10Score: 0/10

I ___ in Paris, but now I live in Lisbon.

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Tenses & Verb Forms

Used to / Be used to / Get used to

2 min read

Used to, be used to, and get used to look similar, but they have very different meanings. The key difference is between past habits and being comfortable with something.

1. Used to → past habits or states (no longer true)

Use used to + base verb to talk about things that were true in the past but are not true now.

I used to live in London. (now I don’t)
She used to play tennis every weekend.
We used to be close friends.

2. Be used to → be comfortable with something

Use be used to + noun / -ing to say that something is normal or familiar.

I am used to waking up early.
She is used to the noise.
They are used to working long hours.

Important: after “be used to” and “get used to”, use -ing, not the base verb.

❌ I am used to wake up early.
✅ I am used to waking up early.

3. Get used to → become comfortable

Use get used to + noun / -ing when the situation is changing.

I am getting used to waking up early.
She got used to the weather.
You will get used to working here.

Key differences

Used to → past (no longer true)
Be used to → already comfortable
Get used to → becoming comfortable

💡 Tip

Used to = past life
Be used to = OK now
Get used to = becoming normal
used to + base verb: I used to live
be / get used to + -ing: I'm used to living

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 10Score: 0/10

I ___ in Paris, but now I live in Lisbon.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Common confusions

Emigrate vs. Immigrate

Common confusions

Raise vs. Rise

Agreement rules

Despite / In spite of / Although / Even though

Agreement rules

So vs. Such

Common confusions

Like vs. Such as

Like and such as look similar, but they are not always the same. Like: to compare Like shows that one thing is similar to another. Here, you cannot use such as. She sings like a professional. (Sh...

Vocabulary

Apostrophes

Common mistakes

Present Perfect vs. Past Simple

Agreement rules