Construction USED TO, BE USED, TO GET, USED TO
Let’s refresh the construction “Used to + Inf”, which is used only for the past tense and for those actions and habits that are not relevant now. In the “to be used to doing/get used to doing” constructions, only the first part changes – the verb to be, which changes by person and number, and the verb get, which changes by number. The interrogative form is formed using auxiliary verbs, and the negative form is formed by adding the particle not. These constructions are very similar, but they are both used to talk about what we are used to at the time of the conversation, but there is still a slight difference.
The construction “to be used to doing” indicates actions that have become habitual:
- We are used to reading English books. We do it every day
- Не is used to getting up early. He works from 8 a.m
The construction “to get used to doing” is used in the sense of “what becomes more common”:
- It was difficult at first, but we soon got used to writing dictations
- She didn’t get used to drinking tea in the morning. She usually drinks coffee with cakes
The Present Simple is usually used to talk about common daily activities, and in general, these two constructions “be used to doing/get used to doing” can be used in the present, past and future tenses.
Remember that only “infinitive” is used after “used to”. After “be/get used to”, either a gerund (a verb ending in -ing) or a noun is used.