I used to be used to doing it!

Now, you should be familiar with the use of “used to” to talk about past habits that you don’t do anymore. For example if I say:

I used to work alone.

That means that in the past, I worked by myself but now I don’t. Do you remember how to say this sentence in the present? Look below:

I usually work alone.

By using the frequency adverb “usually” in the present tense, we talk about present habits. Now, let’s go back to “used to”. There are a couple of other ways of using “used to”. Check these two sentences out:

I am used to working alone.

I got used to working alone

In the first sentence, by using “be” + “used to”, I’m talking about being accustomed to a situation (I’m accustomed to working by myself). In the second one, by using “get” + “used to”, I’m talking about becoming accustomed to a situation (I’m becoming accustomed to working by myself).

There are some important difference to keep in mind when using these four expressions. Whereas, “usually” is normally used in the present simple tense, and “used to” only in the past simple, “be/get used to” can be used in any tense. Another thing to keep in mind, when followed by a verb, we use an infinitive verb form after “used to”, while we use a gerund verb form after “be/get used to”. Here are some more examples below, to illustrate these differences:

She usually wakes up early.

She used to wake up early.

She was used to waking up early.

She will get used to waking up early.

To make these sentences negative or interrogatives, we follow the same rules as always. Take a look:

She doesn’t usually wake up early.

She didn’t use to wake up early.

She wasn’t used to waking up early.

She won’t get used to waking up early.

Does she usually wake up early?

Did she use to wake up early?

Was she used to waking up early?

Will she get used to waking up early?

Isn’t it interesting how the meanings of these sentences change? Getting used to using these expressions is just a matter of time!