Used to, Would, Be/Get Used to

Used to would be/get used to are used to speak about past habits/states (not now), repeated past actions, something which is normal/familiar or becoming familiar.

Used to + infinitive

We use this expression to talk about habits or repeated actions in the past which we don’t do in the present. We also use it to talk about states in the past which are no longer true.

I used to have long hair (but now I have short hair).
He used to smoke (but now he doesn’t smoke).
They used to live in India (but now they live in Germany).
Did you use to be a teacher?
Did he use to study French?
She didn’t use to like chocolate, but she does now.
I didn’t use to want to have a nice house.

Would + infinitive

We can also use ‘would + infinitive‘ to talk about a habit or repeated action in the past. We usually use ‘would + infinitive‘ in this way when we’re telling a story about the past. So, we can say:

When I was a student, we would often have a drink after class on a Friday.
When I lived in Italy, we would go to a little restaurant near our house.

However, we don’t use ‘would + infinitive‘ to talk about states in the past. So, if we’re talking about the past, we CAN’T say:

I would have long hair.
I would live in Scotland.

Be used to

We use ‘be used to + verb-ing‘ to talk about things which feel normal for us or things that we are accustomed to:

I’m used to getting up early, so I don’t mind doing it (= getting up early is normal for me, it’s what I usually do).
My little daughter is used to eating lunch at noon. So she was grumpy yesterday when we didn’t eat until one.
Lucy isn’t used to staying up late, so she’s very tired today.
Are your children used to walking a lot?

We can also use ‘be used to + noun‘, which has the same meaning:

I’ve lived in the UK almost all my life, so I’m used to rain (= rain is normal for me).
That football team always lose, so they’re used to disappointment!

We can put the verb ‘be‘ into any tense. So we can talk about things in the past or the future as well as the present using this expression:

It was difficult when I first started university, because I wasn’t used to the amount of work we had to do.
Soon I’ll be used to driving in London and I won’t be so frightened!

Get used to + verb-ing

We can use ‘get used to + verb-ing‘ to talk about the change of not normal to normal. We can also use this in any tense:

Don’t worry if your new job is hard at first. You’ll get used to it.
It took me a while, but I got used to speaking another language every day.
It took me a few months to get used to living in Japan. At first everything seemed very different, but them gradually it became normal for me.

In short:

Used to = past habits/states (not now)

Would = repeated past actions

Be used to = something is normal/familiar

Get used to = becoming familiar

Have practice using used to would be/get used to

**Exercise 1. Make an affirmative sentence, negative sentence or question using ‘used to + infinitive‘.**

I / live in a flat when I was a child.
We / go to the beach every summer?
She / love eating chocolate, but now she hates it.
He / not / smoke.
I / play tennis when I was at school.
She / be able to speak French, but she has forgotten it all.
He / play golf every weekend?
They both / have short hair.
Julie / study Portuguese.
I / not / hate school.

**Exercise 2. If it’s possible, make a sentence with ‘would + infinitive‘. If it’s not possible, use ‘used to +infinitive’.**

I / have short hair when I was a teenager.
We / go to the same little café for lunch every day when I was a student.
She / love playing badminton before she hurt her shoulder.
He / walk along the beach every evening before bed.
I / always lose when I played chess with my father.
She / be able to dance very well.
My grandfather / drink a cup of coffee after dinner every night.
Luke / not have a car.
We / live in Brazil.
My family / often go to the countryside for the weekend when I was young.

**Exercise 3. Make sentences using ‘be used to + verb-ing’ or ‘be used to + noun / pronoun‘. You need to choose the correct tense.**

I (live) in London, so the crowds don’t bother me.
She (the Tokyo subway) so she doesn’t get lost.
He (not / deal) with animals, so he’s a bit scared of the dogs.
John (drive) in heavy traffic.
I (wake) up in the night with my baby. I drink lots of coffee!
It was very hard to get up at five when I first started this job, because I (not / it).
She (drink) a lot of coffee, so she doesn’t have a problem with going to sleep afterwards.
I’ve lived here in Hokkaido for three years but I (not / the snow).
He (do) a lot of exercise, so a ten-mile walk is easy for him.
Julie’s flat is in the centre of London. When she visits a friend in the countryside, it’s difficult for her to sleep because she (not / the quiet).

**Exercise 4. Complete the sentences. Use the correct form of used to or would. Use would wherever possible.**

When I was a child, I _______ dream of travelling round the world.
She _______ have lots of free time before she started working here.
In the summer holidays we _______ go to the beach nearly every day.
Before Harry moved here, he _______ take the bus everywhere but now he needs a car.
They _______ drink coffee but recently they’ve got into the habit of drinking several cups a day.
A: _______you _______ have a beard? B: Yes, but it _______ bother me so I got rid of it.