Study materials
Two sentences differing by two letters, and meaning the opposite of each other.
I used to wake up late.
I'm used to waking up early.
The first is about a past that is gone. The second is about a present state: something has become normal for you. One detail in the form tells them apart.
Here to is a preposition
In be used to and get used to the word to does not belong to a verb. It is a preposition, like in or for. And after a preposition, as you remember, a verb always takes the ing form.
She's used to working late.
I'm used to the noise.
In used to do, by contrast, the to belongs to the verb itself, so the base form follows. That is the whole difference in writing.
Be or get: a state or a transition
The two structures differ by the stage you are at. Be used to is a state already reached; get used to is the process of getting there.
| Structure | What it means |
|---|---|
| used to do | I did it once, not any more |
| be used to doing | I am accustomed, it feels normal |
| get used to doing | I am adapting, gradually |
I'm used to the cold weather.
You'll get used to the schedule.
It took me a month to get used to driving on the left.
Notice that both structures live happily in any tense. Only the first word changes, be or get.
Negatives and questions
The negative says the situation has not become familiar yet. It describes a present state, not a piece of the past.
I'm not used to driving on the left.
Are you used to it?
Did you get used to the new office?
The helper is chosen by the first word. With be, the form of be does the job; with get, do or did steps in.
The mistakes everyone makes
The first is putting a base form after be used to.
I'm used to wake up early. → I'm used to waking up early.
The second is describing present familiarity with used to do.
I used to live here, so the noise is fine. → I'm used to living here, so the noise is fine.
The third is taking be where a process is meant.
Don't worry, you'll be used to it soon. → Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon.
All three are caught by one glance at the word after to. If it is an ing, you are talking about familiarity. If it is a base form, you are talking about the past.
Try it right now
Name one thing in English you are already used to and one you are only getting used to.
Then add a third sentence about a habit you no longer have. Three structures side by side, and the difference becomes obvious.