Rules for using “Used to. Constructions “I used to” and “I’m used to Were used time
The construction Used to is used very often in English. Its peculiarity is that it is always in the past tense, that is, in the Past Simple, because of this it is virtually impossible to make a mistake in its conjugation.
In addition, the construction Used to does not mean “to use”, but repeated actions, moreover, in the past. Today we will analyze this phrase piece by piece and find out where and under what conditions it can be used in speech.
To begin with, pay attention to examples of some sentences with this phrase:
- She usedtobe shy. — She used to be shy (Used to be shy).
- Tom used to - Tom is used to smoking
- Mary used to help her granny when she visited her. —MaryI'm used to itto helphisgrandma, Whenvisitedher.
The translation of this construction in sentences is based more on intuition than on accuracy. Agree, Used to in these sentences can be translated as “used to, often happened, often happened like this,” etc. And all because this construction means habitual recurring events in the past, but which no longer have a place to be in the present.
That is, we will translate these phrases: She used to be timid (but now she’s not). Tom used to smoke (not anymore).
If, speaking about these sentences, she would still be timid, or Tom would still smoke, then the construction Used to is no longer suitable. It will also not be suitable if the action happened only once - Tom smoked once. So, Used to is only used in events that were repeated in the past, but which no longer exist.
Let's summarize!
Let's summarize our rule and draw a conclusion.
The Used to construction is used when we are talking about actions that were repeated many times in the past, but now these actions no longer exist.
The Used to clause is not used if the action is still happening; if the action was one-time.
This phrase has three forms of formation: affirmative, negative and interrogative:
- Tomusedtosmoke. — Tom used to smoke (Tom had the habit of smoking)
- Tomdidn't"tusetosmoke. — Tom did not have the habit of smoking.
- DidTomusetosmoke? — Did Tom have a habit of smoking before?
There are three main points to pay attention to:
- The Used to construction does not change according to persons and numbers.
- Used to has no present or future tense, only events that are repeated in the past but no longer occur in the present.
- With this structure, action verbs and state verbs are used.
The Used to construction can be replaced by Would + infinitive, but this structure is only used with verbs that mean actions. For example:
- I wouldvisit my aunt every morning = I used to visit my aunt every morning. - EarlierIvisitedmyaunteachmorning.
State verbs cannot be used in this meaning: I would be shy. You can only: I used to be shy. (be is a state verb).
There are some phrases that differ from Used to, but they are often confused:
The construction Be used to means “to have the habit of doing something, to be accustomed to doing something.” This construction is also used only in the Past Simple:
- My sister is used to getting up early. - MysisterI'm used to itget upearly.
- He is used to do his homework after school. - Heused to itdohomework after school.
- We are used to come on time. - Wegot used to itcomeduring.
Construction Get used to - get used to something, get used to doing something, gradually get used to it. This phrase is used in different tenses:
- The present: Tom is getting used to travel on his own. (Tom gets used to ittravelone).
- Past: My grandparents got used to living there.(My grandparents used to live there).Did you get used to eating Japanese food? (Youused to itThere isJapaneseI'm going?)
- Future: He will have to get used toworking every day, without weekends.(He will have to get used to working every day, seven days a week).
Let's summarize where and what structures we use:
- Construction Used to do smth - habitual actions in the past that no longer occur (or would+ infinitive (only with action verbs).
- Version Be used to doing smth - to have the habit of doing something.
- Construction Get used to doing smth - Get used to it.
You see, friends - nothing complicated! Good luck to you!
All people have some habits: some are used to getting up early, some are used to running in the morning, and some are used to walking before bed. Some habits appeared a long time ago, while some people, on the contrary, are just about to develop.
Just to talk about the habits you have, the English language uses the construction to be used to.
From this article you will learn: cases of use of the construction be used to, features of use, examples and rules for constructing all types of sentences.
Use of the be used to construction in English
The construction be used to is used to describe something common to us, some behavior that has become permanent. This construction is translated as “to be habitual.”
We use to be used to in the following situations:
1. When a person speaks about any actions that are habitual and for him. That is, these actions do not seem surprising, difficult or strange to him.
For example: My friend is used to running in the morning.
We are used to living in a big city.
We are used to living in a big city.
He is used to getting up early.
He is used to getting up early.
2. When a person speaks about any things that are considered normal and ordinary
For example: He is used to a humid climate.
He is used to hard work.
He is used to difficult work.
They are used to expensive gifts.
They are used to expensive gifts.
Formation of affirmative sentences with the construction "be used to" in English
We can use the construction be used to in the present, past, future tense.
To do this, we need to put our verb to be in the correct form. The scheme for forming affirmative sentences will be as follows:
- when we speak about action, then we put the verb to be at the right time and add the ending -ing to the word denoting the action. The education scheme will be like this:
The one we are talking about + be in the right tense + used to + action ending -ing
- When we talk about something we are used to, that is about an object/thing, then we also put to be at the right time, but we do not add any endings to the subject.
The one in question + be at the right time + used to + subject
Let's look at how we change the verb to be depending on tenses.
sed to present tense
When it comes to the fact that a person currently has any habits, we put to be at the present time: am/are/is.
| I | am | ||
| You | |||
| We | are | cooking breakfast | |
| They | used to | cold shower | |
| She | dancing alone | ||
| He | is | ||
| It |
She is used to speaking in public.
She is used to public speaking.
We are used to travelling.
We are used to traveling.
Affirmative sentences with be used to in past tense
When we talk about habits that we had in the past, we put to be in the past tense: was, were.
| I | was | ||
| You | |||
| We | were | cooking breakfast | |
| They | used to | cold shower | |
| She | dancing alone | ||
| He | was | ||
| It |
For example:
I was used to reading before bedtime when I was a child.
I used to read before bed when I was a child.
They were used to speaking English when they lived in New-York.
They were used to speaking English when they lived in New York.
Affirmative sentences with be used to in the future tense
When we talk about the habits that we are trying to develop, we put will before our verb be.
| I | |||
| You | |||
| We | cooking breakfast | ||
| They | will be | used to | cold shower |
| She | dancing alone | ||
| He | |||
| It |
You will be used to rural life soon.
You will soon get used to rural life.
She will be used to driving a car.
She will get used to driving a car.
Formation of negative sentences with the used to construction in English
When we say that we are not used to doing something, that is, we consider something unusual, difficult or surprising, we use denial. It is formed using the particle not, which we place after the verb to be in the right tense. The education scheme will be as follows:
The one in question + be in the right tense + not + used to + action with -ing ending or subject
Let's look at the formation of negation in detail for each time.
sed to present tense
In the present tense we say that we are not used to doing something at the moment or that we do not consider something habitual at the moment.
| I | am | |||
| You | ||||
| We | are | cooking breakfast | ||
| They | not | used to | cold shower | |
| She | dancing alone | |||
| He | is | |||
| It |
I am not used to drinking coffee without sugar.
I'm not used to drinking coffee without sugar.
We are not used to going to bed very late.
We are not used to going to bed late.
Negative sentences with be used to in past tense
We use negation with be used to in the past form when we say that some time ago we were not in the habit of doing something or did not consider something familiar to us.
| I | was | |||
| You | ||||
| We | were | cooking breakfast | ||
| They | not | used to | cold shower | |
| She | dancing alone | |||
| He | was | |||
| It |
He wasnotused to getting up at 6 a.m. two years ago.
He wasn't used to getting up at six in the morning two years ago.
They werenotusedto doing homework.
They were not used to doing homework.
Negative sentences with be used to in the future tense
When we are talking about the fact that you will not get used to something in the future, we put not after will.
| I | ||||
| You | ||||
| We | cooking breakfast | |||
| They | will | not | be used to | cold shower |
| She | dancing alone | |||
| He | ||||
| It |
She will not be used to living alone.
She won't get used to living alone.
We will not be used to working at the weekends.
We are not used to working on weekends.
Formation of interrogative sentences with the construction used to in English
To ask if someone has a habit, you need to put the verb to be in the right tense first. The education scheme will be as follows:
To be at the right time + the one in question + used to + action with -ing ending or subject
Let's see how this will happen at each time.
sed to present tense
If we ask whether a person currently has any habit, then we move our am/are/is to the first place.
| Am | I | ||
| you | |||
| Are | we | cooking breakfast? | |
| they | used to | cold shower? | |
| he | dancing alone? | ||
| Is | she | ||
| it |
Are you used to cold weather?
Are you used to cold weather?
Is she used to going to clubs?
Is she used to going to clubs?
Interrogative sentences with be used to in past tense
If you want to know whether a person had a habit of doing something some time ago, then you need to put was/were at the beginning of the sentence.
| Was | I | ||
| you | |||
| Were | we | cooking breakfast? | |
| they | used to | cold shower? | |
| he | dancing alone? | ||
| Was | she | ||
| it |
Weretheyusedto running every day a year ago?
Were you used to running every day a year ago?
Washeusedto driving a truck last month?
Was he used to driving a truck last month?
Interrogative sentences with be used to in the future tense
If you are asking whether a person will get used to something in the future tense, then you need to put will first.
| I | |||
| you | |||
| we | cooking breakfast? | ||
| Will | they | watching horrors?
???.
accustomed
(used)
Collocations
used to — to be accustomed to something; get used to something; often did sth.
used towel — used towel
used to be — a person who once held a prominent position
be used to — have a habit; be used to
get used to — addicted; get used to
not used to — unaccustomed
use up — use up
re use — to reuse
in use — in use, used
no use — useless; nothing
Examples
I used to bike to work.
I rode my bike to work.
I used to see him often.
I used to meet him often.
She used to have long hair.
She used to have long hair.
I used to wear my hair long.
I used to have long hair.
I used to be a heavy smoker.
I used to be a heavy smoker.
There used to be a house here.
There used to be a house here.
My father used to mend our shoes.
My father used to repair our shoes.
Morphine is used to relieve pain.
Morphine is used to relieve pain.
-
Translation
use to be
Collocations
she didn't use to be so outspoken — simple. Once upon a time she wasn’t so outspoken
used to be — a person who once held a prominent position
used-to-be — a person who once held a prominent position, played an important role in something. circle
it used to be said — spoke; it happened
use is second nature — habit is second nature
there used to be a house — there used to be a house here
there used to be a house here — there used to be a house here
winters used to be not so harsh — before winters were not so harsh
it is nothing like it used to be — not at all like what it was
there used to be a cinema in this street — on this street there was once a cinema
be used to drink but is now off the stuff — he once drank, but now he’s stopped
drier using trays to be handled on wagonettes — dryer with the layout of drying material on trays of mobile trolleys
it used to be modish for women to cut their hair short — before fashionistas wore short hair
Examples
That didn't use to be the case.
This didn't happen before.
I used to be a heavy smoker.
I used to be a heavy smoker.
There used to be a house here.
There used to be a house here.
Fatness used to be a sign of affect.
Obesity used to be considered a sign of wealth.
She used to be a babe, and now she"s a tub!
She used to be a beautiful girl, but now she has turned into a fat woman.
Old roads used to be paved with round stones.
Old roads were usually paved with round stones.
Revolutions used to do And be used to do can often be heard in the speech of heroes of films or TV series, as well as read in the text of a book or article. These constructions are constantly used by native speakers. English language learners often confuse these expressions because they sound almost the same. Therefore, in the article we will clearly demonstrate the difference between the designs used to do And be used to do.
Used to do. It was different before!
We use used to do when we talk about old habits, states and repeated actions that happened in the past. All these habits and states are no longer there. Therefore this expression can only be used in the past tense – used to. To Russian used to usually translated with a verb in the past tense. Sometimes they also add the word “before” to the translation to emphasize that this is no longer the case.
I used to eat a lot of chocolate but now I am on a diet. – Earlier I ate a lot of chocolate, but now I'm on a diet. (habit in the past)
When I worked as a postman, I used to get up early. - When I worked as a postman, I got up early in the morning. (regular action in the past)
She used to be very busy but now she is retired. – Earlier she was very busy, but now she is retired. (state)
Expression used to do something It is usually used in affirmative sentences, but you can also find it in negation or question. Negative sentences have one feature: an auxiliary verb and a particle ( did not) in most cases are replaced by the word never(never). In the table you will see how sentences with the construction are built used to do.
| Used to do | ||
|---|---|---|
| Statement | I, You, He, She, It | used to do something. |
| Negation | I, You, He, She, It | did not use / never used to do something. |
| Question | Did I, you, he, she, it | use to do something? |
He used to live alone. – Earlier He lived one.
I did not use to like him but now I do. - He told me I didn't like it before, but now I like it.
I never used to watch TV. - I never watched TV earlier.
Did you use to live in London? - You lived before in London?
Remember that the expression used to do refers only to the past tense. If you want to talk about habits and regular activities in the present, use the tense.
The expression used to do there are several analogues: and . True, with would There is one caveat. Would shows only regular actions and habits in the past, we cannot use this verb to describe the state.
When I was young, I used to play / would play / played with dolls. – When I was little, I played with dolls.
I used to/would live near Hyde Park. - I lived before near Hyde Park.
Be used to do. Already used to it
Expression be used to do means that we are used to something. For us this is no longer new, not unusual, not strange. This construction is translated into Russian as the word “get used to.” Synonym be used to do is the expression be accustomed to.
I found Vietnamese cuisine quite strange at first but now I am used to it. = I found Vietnamese cuisine quite strange at first but now I am accustomed to it. – At first, Vietnamese cuisine seemed quite strange to me, but now I used to it To her.
He was not used to take an umbrella every morning when he moved to London. = He was not accustomed to taking an umbrella every morning when he moved to London. - He I wasn't used to taking I carried an umbrella with me every morning when I moved to London.
Unlike used to, be used to can be used in present, past and future tenses. To do this you need to change the form of the verb to be. Because there is a verb to be, then we don't need an auxiliary verb do (did).
| Be used to | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | I, You, He, She, It | am, is, are (was, were) | used to something / someone / doing something. |
| Negation | I, You, He, She, It | am, is, are (was, were) not | used to something / someone / doing something. |
| Question | Am, Is, Are (Was, Were) | I, you, he, she, it | used to something / someone / doing something. |
He is used to stay away from home. - He used to being there away from home.
Are they used to the cold weather? - They got used to it for cold weather?
I am not used to him and his behavior. - I not used to it to him and his behavior.
He was not used to driving on the left side of the road. - To him it was unusual to drive on the left side of the road.
Besides the expression be used to, there is another option - get used to. Be used to shows an action that has already been completed, that is, we are either used to it or not. Get used to demonstrates the process of habituation, that is, now the person is trying to master something that is new or unusual for him.
She started working at night and is still getting used to sleeping during the day. – She started working at night and is still gets used to sleeping during the day.
She had to get used to living in a smaller house. - She had to get used to living in a smaller house.
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Test
Expressions used to do and be used to do in English