There is
a difference between :
- Used to
- To be / to get used to
It is important
not to confuse
I used to
and
I am used to doing (to be / to get used to)
as they are different in structure and meaning.
1. Used to
You use used to do sth to talk about sth that happened regularly
or was the case in the past, but is not now.
Examples
:
· They used to live in Manchester, now they live in London.
· I used to hate dancing, now I enjoy it.
· Bridget used to smoke, but she gave up a couple of years
ago.
To form questions, use " did ".
Examples
:
· Did she use to have long hair?
· Where did you use to live before you came here ?
(Note that the correct spelling is use to not used to)
It is also
possible to say " Where used you to live… ".
The negative form is usually " didn't use ", but in
British English this is quite informal and is not usually used
in writing.
Example :
· I didn't use to have a pet when I was little.
The negative
form " used not to " (rather formal) and the question
form " used you to … ? " is quite old-fashioned
and formal. They are only used in British English, usually in
writing.
You cannot
use " used to " to talk about the present, in this case
use the present simple.
Examples
:
· I go shopping every week.
· I play football very often.
2. To be/to
get used to (…ing)
When somebody says I'm used to sth that means it is not new or
strange for him or her. It means that the person is familiar with
sth because he/she does it or experiences it often.
Examples
:
· I'm used to London traffic.
· I'm not used to eating so much at lunchtime.
· I bought some new shoes, they felt a bit strange at first
because I wasn't used to them.
· Diane has a new job, she has to get up much earlier now
than before, at 6.30. She finds this difficult because she isn't
used to getting up so early.
To get used to means to get familiar to sth.
Examples
:
· It can take a long time to get used to a new country.
· I found the job tiring at first but I got used to it.
When be/get
used to is followed by a verb, this verb is in the ing form. You
cannot use the infinitive.
Examples
:
· I'm used to driving in London.
· I'll never get used to driving on the left.
When we say
I'm used to, "to" is a preposition, not a part of the
infinitive, so we say :
Examples
:
· Jane is used to getting up early (not Jane is used to
get up)
· Mark had to get used to driving on the left (not get
used to drive)
If you want to answer to somebody that you are used to sth you
cannot say " I'm used " (J'ai l'habitude), you need
to add a complement according to the context :
Examples
:
· " I'm used to it "
· " I'm used to them "
Summary
The difference
between
I am used to doing and I used to do
I used to do sth means that I did sth regularly in the past but
no longer do it. We can use this structure only for the past not
for the present. The structure is " I used to do " and
not " I am used to do ".
Examples
:
· I used to go to work by the tube, but these days I usually
go by foot.
· We used to live in a small town, but now we live in London.
I am used to doing sth means that sth is not strange or new for
me.
Examples
:
· I am used to the weather in this country.
· I am used to driving on the left because I have lived
in GB for a long time.
EXERCISES
Sentences to fill in with one word only :
·
Max used to … a lot of tea. Now he prefers coffee.
· I will get used to … to bed earlier.
· She is not used to … the tube.
· When we were 12, we used to … sweets after school.
· Joy is used to … " Metro " because she
has lived in London for a long time.
· Joy used to … " Le Parisien " in Paris.
· I used to … a car but I sold it last week.
· Mark is not used to … with flatmates.
Use " used to " in these sentences following the example
:
He's rich (poor). He used to be poor.
·
We live in Edinburgh (Glasgow).
· I smoke 2 cigarettes a day (20).
· Max goes to the swimming-pool every week (day).
Translate into English :
·
Il est difficile de s'habituer à une nouvelle voiture.
· Amy s'est habituée à lire dans le métro.
· Amy lisait auparavant le journal chez elle.
· Avant, je mangeais beaucoup de chocolat.
· Pat allait au pub tous les soirs quand elle était
étudiante.
· Ma sœur faisait autrefois du piano.
· Roy n'est pas habitué à boire de la bière
australienne.
· Les gens voyageaient peu auparavant.
· Elle espère qu'elle s'habituera à vivre
aux Etats-Unis.
· Jane a-t-elle l'habitude de voyager ?
