Used to vs. Be Used to
I used to do exercise all the time. Ocurria
I am not used to doing exercise anymore. Ya no estoy adaptado/comodo/familiarizado con esto
I have to get used to doing exercise again. Tengo que adaptarme otra vez
I used to study all the time. Ocurria
I am not used to studying daily anymore. Ya no estoy adaptado/comodo/familiarizado con esto
I have to get used to studying daily again. Tengo que adaptarme otra vez
I used to ride a bicycle every day. I got used to riding it very quickly, but, after my accident, I am no longer used to riding a bicycle. My physiotherapist is making me ride a bike every day, but I am not getting used to riding it. I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to be/get used to riding it.
I used to be a slave in Africa. Occurrence only
Vs.
I learned to ride a bike when I was young. I haven’t ridden a bike for the last 10 years, but I am still used to riding a bike as I haven’t forgotten the technique. Comfort
S + used to + inf: regular occurrence in the past: solia
S + be used to + ing: how comfortable we are: estar acostumbrado a/comfort/familiarizado
S + get used to + ing: how comfortable we are: adaptarse a/comfort
I used to play with my friends at school during the break. This is something that happened very often in the past. I used to play hide and seek. I used to run with them. We used to jump. We used to shout and laugh. All of these things occurred regularly in the past.
There was one game I wasn’t used to playing. I mean that I wasn’t comfortable or familiar with playing this sport. I am talking about football. I used to think regularly how I am going to get used to playing football. That means how I am going to adapt to playing football. It was very important for me to get used to playing football because I used to be a part of a group of kids who loved football. Everyone else was already used to playing football which means they were comfortable and familiar with the sport. My friends knew that I was doing everything in my power to get used to playing football which means that I wanted to adapt to playing football, too, just like the others.
The others were already used to playing football because they used to play much more often than me. I decided to do the same. I started playing football in my free time with my older brother who used to play for his school team regularly. This helped me to get used to playing football. It took me just a few weeks to get used to playing football. I have been used to playing football now for ages.
If you used to do something regularly, it doesn’t mean that you are used to doing that thing. It depends on whether you used to do it in a way that would help you to get used to doing it. I used to play with my friends at school regularly but I didn’t get used to playing football until I learnt the skills from my brother. That’s when I got used to playing football.
While I was getting used to playing football, I used to get tired and didn’t use to do many other activities. Now that I am used to playing football, I can do many other things that I didn’t use to do while I was getting used to playing football. I am now used to playing football for many hours. I am so happy that I feel comfortable and familiar with this sport that we all love.
used to + inf: how often something occurred in the past. solia
be used to + ing: how comfortable we are with something. Estar comodo/familiarizado con
get used to + ing: how comfortable we are with something. Adaptarme a
The moral of this story is that it’s important to show the difference between these concepts by using the correct form with the infinitive or ing.
Be vs Get: explained after this next section
Be vs. get
I am hungry.
I was hungry.
I will be hungry.
Vs.
I am getting hungry.
I got hungry.
I will get hungry.
Does the tense show us where we are in the process?
Does the verb GET show where we are in the process? Estoy/estaba en ello etc
Does the verb BE focuses more on the process when it reaches the end? Ya estoy/ya estuve etc
Does the verb BE only have this one form or do we conjugate it depending on the subject?
Am, is, are, was, were, will be, should be etc.
Does the verb GET only have this one form or do we conjugate it depending on the subject?
Get, got, will get, should get etc.
Be used to + ing/noun = comfort level = el nivel de confort/estar adaptado a
Are you used to living in a hot climate?
Are you used to a hot climate?
Are you used to eating spicy food?
Are you used to spicy food?
Are you used to driving on the left or the right side of the road?
Are you used to speaking English fast now?
Is the focus on how comfortable we are with doing something or the occurrence?
After the TO, do you have the infinitive or ing?
Can you also put a noun instead of the verbs after the TO?
Get used to + ing = comfort level/adaptarse
What would help you get used to running marathons?
Why do old people have problems getting used to using technology?
Talk about something difficult you had to get used to.
Why do some immigrants never get used to the culture of the areas they move to?
Does this refer to the process of becoming comfortable with something?
Do you know where you are in this process by looking at the tense?
After the TO, do you have the infinitive or ing?
Can you have both ing and a noun after the TO?
To + ing = To + noun
The TO here is a preposition.
Preposition + ing rule applies here.
look forward to
I am looking forward to your letter.
I am looking forward to receiving your letter.
admit to
I admitted to my mistake.
I admitted to making a mistake.
object to
I object to those instructions. .
I object to receiving those instructions.
get round to
I got around to that task.
I got around to doing that task.
be used to
I am used to this climate.
I am used to living in this climate.
get used to
I am getting used to this car.
I am getting used to driving this car.
I want to car.
I need to food.
You need the infinitive. The TO here is part of the infinitive. It is not a preposition.