Used To, Be Used To, Get Used To

Be Used To - Basic

easy

Practice 'be used to + gerund' for current familiarity

20 questions - 10 min

Get Used To - Basic

easy

Practice 'get used to + gerund' for adaptation process

20 questions - 10 min

Would - Past Actions

medium

Practice 'would + infinitive' for repeated past actions

20 questions - 12 min

Used To vs Would

medium

Critical: When can you use 'would'? State vs action verbs

20 questions - 15 min

Be Used To vs Get Used To

medium

State (comfort) vs Process (adapting)

20 questions - 15 min

Used To vs Be Used To

medium

Most confused pair! Past habit vs Present familiarity

20 questions - 15 min

Mixed Practice - Easy

easy

All four structures with clear contexts

20 questions - 12 min

Mixed Practice - Intermediate

medium

Subtle contexts and less obvious clues

20 questions - 15 min

Negative Forms

medium

Practice didn't use to, not used to, can't get used to

20 questions - 15 min

Question Forms

medium

Did you use to...? Are you used to...? Getting used to?

20 questions - 15 min

Common Errors

hard

Fix mistakes with infinitive/gerund, state verbs, spelling

20 questions - 18 min

Mixed Practice - Advanced

hard

Complex sentences with multiple time references

20 questions - 20 min

Real-World Contexts

hard

Business, cultural adaptation, and professional scenarios

20 questions - 18 min

Final Test

hard

Comprehensive test: 30 questions, A2-C1 progressive difficulty

30 questions - 25 min

What is the difference between "used to" and "be used to"?

"Used to" and "be used to" are two completely different structures with different meanings and time references. According to the British National Corpus, "used to" for past habits appears approximately 85 times per million words, making it one of the most common ways to express past habits in English. The key difference is that "used to + infinitive" describes past habits that no longer exist, while "be used to + gerund" describes present familiarity or comfort with something.

Used To + Infinitive

Past habits/states that ended

"I used to smoke." (I quit)

Be Used To + Gerund

Present familiarity/comfort

"I'm used to working late."

Get Used To + Gerund

Process of adapting

"I'm getting used to the cold."

Would + Infinitive

Past repeated ACTIONS only

"We would visit grandma."

Used To Structures Quick Reference - All four patterns explained

When do you use "would" for past habits?

"Would" can express repeated past actions, but with a crucial restriction: you can ONLY use "would" for actions, never for states. Cambridge Grammar research indicates that "would" is often preferred in nostalgic storytelling contexts, while "used to" is more neutral. The key rule is: if the verb describes a state (be, have, know, like, love), you must use "used to" instead of "would".

Feature	Used To	Would
Past repeated actions	Yes	Yes
Past states (be, have, know)	Yes	No!
Implies change from past	Always	Context needed
Nostalgic/storytelling tone	Neutral	Yes

State Verbs - Use "Used To" Only!

Cannot use "would" with these verbs:

behaveknowlikelovehatebelievewantthinkunderstandownbelong

What is the difference between "be used to" and "get used to"?

"Be used to" describes a current STATE of familiarity - you are already comfortable with something. "Get used to" describes the PROCESS of becoming accustomed to something. Corpus analysis from the Cambridge Learner Corpus shows this is one of the most frequently confused pairs, with approximately 45% of intermediate learners making errors distinguishing these two structures.

Be Used To (State)

"I am used to working late."
"She is used to the noise."
Already comfortable NOW

Get Used To (Process)

"I'm getting used to the job."
"It took months to get used to it."
Still adapting / becoming comfortable

Look for Process Markers

Words like still, gradually, slowly, eventually, it took time often signal "get used to" (adaptation process), while "be used to" describes a completed state.

How do you form questions and negatives with "used to"?

The formation rules for "used to" structures follow specific patterns. A common spelling mistake is using "used to" with "did" - in questions and negatives, the correct form is "use to" (without the 'd'). This follows the pattern of other past simple verbs where "did" already carries the past tense marker.

Structure	Positive	Negative	Question
Used to	I used to smoke	I didn't use to smoke	Did you use to smoke?
Be used to	I am used to working	I am not used to working	Are you used to working?
Get used to	I'm getting used to it	I can't get used to it	Are you getting used to it?

What are the most common "used to" mistakes?

Analysis of the Cambridge Learner Corpus shows that errors with "used to" structures are among the most persistent for English learners. The most frequent mistake (affecting 52% of learners at B1 level) is confusing "used to" with "be used to" due to their similar appearance but completely different meanings.

Confusing past vs present meaning

Wrong: "I used to working late"->Correct: "I'm used to working late" (now) OR "I used to work late" (past)

Wrong verb form after "be/get used to"

Wrong: "I'm used to work late"->Correct: "I'm used to working late"

Using "would" with state verbs

Wrong: "I would be shy"->Correct: "I used to be shy"

Spelling in questions/negatives

Wrong: "Did you used to smoke?"->Correct: "Did you use to smoke?"

Forgetting "to" entirely

Wrong: "I used smoke"->Correct: "I used to smoke"

Common Used To Errors - Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid

Can "would" replace "used to" in all sentences?

No, "would" cannot replace "used to" in all sentences. The key restriction is that "would" can only describe repeated past actions, never past states. COCA (Corpus of Contemporary American English) data shows that while both are common in past habit contexts, "used to" appears in approximately 40% more contexts because it can describe states while "would" cannot.

Can Use Both

"We used to / would visit grandma every Sunday."
"She used to / would play tennis after school."
"I used to / would walk to work."
(All describe repeated actions)

Only "Used To"

"I used to be shy." (state: be)
"She used to have a car." (state: have)
"He used to know everyone." (state: know)
(States require "used to")

Quick test: Can you say "I am doing this right now"? If no (like "I am being shy" sounds wrong), the verb is probably a state verb, and you should use "used to" instead of "would".

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Statistics and research cited on this page:

-
British National Corpus - Frequency data showing "used to" appears approximately 85 times per million words in written and spoken English.BNC
-
Cambridge Learner Corpus - Error analysis showing 45% of B1 learners confuse "be used to" and "get used to", and 52% confuse "used to" with "be used to".Cambridge
-
Cambridge Grammar of English - Research on "would" being preferred in nostalgic/storytelling contexts vs neutral "used to".CGE
-
COCA (Corpus of Contemporary American English) - Data showing "used to" appears in 40% more contexts than "would" for past habits due to state verb usage.COCA
-
Swan, M. (2016) - Practical English Usage, 4th Edition. Oxford University Press. Grammar rules for "used to" structures.

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