Practice
Used to and be used to: talk about the past and familiarity
Sign in to saveI used to take the bus to work. Now I am used to cycling. The first sentence looks back at an old routine. The second says that cycling feels normal now.
Choose used to for a past habit or state and be used to for present or changing familiarity, then use the right verb form after each expression.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I used to take the bus, but I am used to taking the train. /aɪ ˈjuːst tə teɪk ðə bʌs, bət aɪ æm ˈjuːst tə ˈteɪkɪŋ ðə treɪn/
The short answer
Use used to + a base verb for a past habit or state. Use be used to + a noun or an -ing form for something that feels familiar.
Mara used to live near the station, but she is used to a longer commute now.
Why it works: Used to live describes an earlier state. Is used to a longer commute describes present familiarity.
5 more examples
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I used to read on the train every morning.
This was a repeated past habit. The base verb read follows used to.
Not this:I
am used to readingon the train every morning. What changes: Reading on the train is a familiar routine now, so the activity ends in -ing. -
Omar used to be nervous before meetings.
Used to can describe a past state as well as a repeated action.
Not this:Omar
is used to speakingin meetings now. What changes: The sentence describes present familiarity with an activity. -
They are used to the early start.
A noun phrase can follow be used to when that thing is familiar.
Not this:They
used to startwork later. What changes: The base verb start shows an earlier routine that has changed. -
Did you use to play chess after school?
Did makes this a past question, so use stays in its base form.
Not this:Are you
used to playingchess online? What changes: This asks whether playing online feels familiar, so playing ends in -ing. -
We did not use to hear traffic at night.
Did not carries the past meaning in this negative sentence.
Not this:We
were used to the quiet street. What changes: Were used to describes an earlier time when the quiet street felt normal.
Read the full guide
First decide whether you mean an old fact or a familiar situation. For an old habit or state, write used to and a base verb, such as used to visit or used to be. For familiarity, choose am, is, are, was, were, or another form of be before used to. Then follow the phrase with a thing or an activity ending in -ing.
Choose the meaning before the form
The two expressions are easier to separate when you start with meaning. Are you describing what was normal in an earlier period, or what feels normal now? An old routine or state calls for used to. Present familiarity calls for be used to.
Leila used to work from home.
This describes an earlier work arrangement. It does not say that she works from home now.
Leila is used to working from home.
Working from home feels familiar to Leila now.
Use used to for past habits and states
Used to refers to the past. It can describe something a person did repeatedly or a state that was true then. Follow it with a base verb. This base verb can be an action, such as walk, or a state verb, such as live, know, or be.
My uncle used to visit every summer.
Visit is the base verb after used to, and every summer shows the repeated past habit.
My uncle used to live by the coast.
Live describes a past state. Used to can describe states as well as actions.
Use be used to for familiarity
Be used to says that something no longer feels new or strange to someone. The form of be changes with the subject and time: I am used to it, she is used to it, and they were used to it. The phrase can refer to familiarity in the past or present.
I am used to the noise from the street.
The noise is a thing, so it can follow be used to directly.
Which form fits when late trains feel normal to you now?
Write: I am used to late trains.
Use an -ing form after be used to
After be used to, to is a preposition. When an activity follows, use an -ing form, not a base verb. This is different from used to + base verb. The words look similar, so the form of the next verb is a useful check.
Rina is used to answering customer emails.
Answering names the familiar activity. Rina is used to answer customer emails does not use this pattern.
How do you say that getting up early feels normal to them?
Write: They are used to getting up early.
Make negatives and questions about past habits
Use did not or did to make a negative or question about an old habit. After did, write use to, not used to, because did already shows the past. The same pattern works with a base verb after use to.
I did not use to drink tea.
Did not carries the past meaning, so use remains in its base form.
Did your neighbors use to have a dog?
The question asks about a past state. Have stays as the base verb after use to.
Check the whole phrase in a longer sentence
Do not choose from used alone. Find the word before it and the verb after it. No form of be before used to usually points to a past habit or state. A form of be plus used to points to familiarity. The next word can confirm your choice: a base verb after used to, or a noun or -ing form after be used to.
We used to meet at the cafe after class.
Meet is a base verb, so the sentence describes an old habit.
We are used to meeting online after class.
Meeting is an -ing form, so the sentence describes a familiar current arrangement.
Before you go
Remember this
Use used to + a base verb for an old habit or state that has changed. Use be used to + a noun or an -ing form when something feels familiar. Look for be and check the verb form after to before you decide.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Used to and be used to: talk about the past and familiarity"
What is the difference between used to and be used to?
Used to describes a past habit or state that has changed, as in I used to read on the train. Be used to describes familiarity, as in I am used to reading on the train. The second expression tells us that the activity feels normal.
I used to read on the train every morning.
What verb form follows used to?
Use a base verb after used to: used to work, used to live, or used to be. This expression can describe repeated actions and past states. In a question with did, write Did you use to live there? because did carries the past meaning.
I am used to reading on the train every morning.
Why does be used to take an -ing form?
In be used to, to is a preposition. An activity after a preposition takes an -ing form, so say Omar is used to speaking in meetings or Rina is used to answering emails. A noun can also follow, as in They are used to the early start.
Omar used to be nervous before meetings.
Can be used to refer to the past?
Yes. Change the form of be to show the time. We were used to the quiet street describes familiarity in the past, while We are used to the early start describes familiarity now. The noun or -ing form after used to stays the same pattern.
Omar is used to speaking in meetings now.
How do I make a negative with used to?
For a past habit, use did not use to plus a base verb: We did not use to hear traffic at night. Did not already shows the past, so use does not need the ending found in the positive form used to.
They are used to the early start.