Ch 8 · Lesson 10

I'm used to it: be used to and get used to

Be used to + noun or -ing means it feels normal now; get used to means it is starting to. I used to work nights is the past; I'm used to working nights is now.

The short version

Used to work is not the same as used to working

.

Night work feels normal now; I used to work nights means I stopped.
Why?

Used to plus a base verb is a finished past habit. Be used to plus a noun or an -ing form means something feels normal to you now, and you may well still do it. The little words am, is, are or get in front are the signal that you have switched structures entirely.

Be used to: it feels normal

used to (the past: not now)be used to (it feels normal now)What do the colours mean?

Be used to is a different thing. It means something feels normal to you, because you have done it a lot. After it comes a noun or an -ing form:

  • . (The cold feels normal to me.)
  • .
  • .

After be used to, never the plain verb: ., not I'm used to get up early. The same to + -ing comes after look forward to; see gerund and infinitive.

Get used to: it starts to feel normal

be used to (it feels normal now)What do the colours mean?

Get used to is the change: something starts to feel normal.

  • .
  • , .
FormMeansExample
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Going further: Used to: true then, not now and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.

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Lesson 10 of 29 in this chapter

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What do the colours mean?