Used to and to be used to - Rules and exercises for intermediate level

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)