Verb patterns · CEFR B2 · Confident
be used to / get used to — English verb patterns
Completely different from "used to". This one is about a habit you HAVE now, and the "to" is a preposition, so a verb after it takes -ing.
The shape
be / get used to + noun or verb-ing
Say you have grown accustomed to something.
In Hindi
"used to" से बिलकुल अलग। यह अभी की आदत है, और यहाँ "to" preposition है, इसलिए क्रिया में -ing लगता है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
I am used to wake up early. | I am used to waking up early. Here "to" is a preposition, so the verb takes -ing. |
Learn these first
These come first. The rest of this makes more sense once they are automatic.
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
Questions people ask
- What is the be used to / get used to used for?
- Completely different from "used to". This one is about a habit you HAVE now, and the "to" is a preposition, so a verb after it takes -ing. In practice: say you have grown accustomed to something.
- How do you form the be used to / get used to?
- be / get used to + noun or verb-ing.
- What is the most common mistake with the be used to / get used to?
- Saying “I am used to wake up early.” instead of “I am used to waking up early.”. Here "to" is a preposition, so the verb takes -ing.
Where be used to / get used to fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
be used to / get used to is a CEFR B2 structure — the confident band — and it belongs to verb patterns. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
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