Used to and be used to: forms and uses
Used to: positive and negative
We use 'used to' + base form of the verb (infinitive)
Helene used to eat meat
We use 'used to' to say that something always happened or was true in the past:
Helene used to eat meat every day
We also use 'used to' to show that this no longer happens, or is no longer true:
Helene used to eat meat until she became a vegetarian
The negative form is 'didn't used to' and we use it to show that something didn't happen or wasn't true in the past:
Helene didn't used to be a vegetarian
Used to: question
The interrogative form is 'did you use to?'
Did you use to eat meat, Helene?
Be used to: positive and negative
We use 'be used to' + -'ing' form of a verb (the gerund).
I didn't like getting up early when I was younger, but I'm used to doing it now.
We use 'be used to' to show that we're accustomed to doing something - it seems natural and not unusual:
I'm used to getting up early
We also use 'getting used to' to show that we are still becoming accustomed to doing something - that it was unusual but now it is becoming more natural:
I'm still getting used to getting up early
The negative form is 'be + negative + used to + gerund' and means that we still find something difficult or unusual:
I'm not used to getting up early
We can also use 'can't + get + used to + gerund' which has the same meaning of something being difficult:
I can't get used to getting up early
Be used to: question
The interrogative form is 'Are you used to?' We can also use the same question form with 'getting used to':
Are you getting used to getting up early?
You can use 'be used to / get used to' in the past, present and future tenses:
I was used to getting up early / I got used to getting up early
I'm used to getting up early / I'm getting used to getting up early
I'll soon be used to getting up early / One day I'll get used to getting up early
Used to/Be used to - be careful!
'Used to' does not have a present or future tense - it is always used to talk about what happened in the past:
I used to eat Chinese food all the time (past)
I always eat Chinese food (present)
