We can create sentences with used to in
constructions with the
infinitive or the gerund, and we would get very different
meaning!
Look at the examples below.
Brenda is very busy, but she doesn't mind. She is used to working
very hard.
More examples:
I don't mind helping you with your homework. I am used to solving
math problems, so it's easy for me.
The kids are used to having
a nap after lunch, so if they don't sleep for a bit, they're very tired
in the afternoon.
Inga is
used to getting up very early. She likes starting work at
8am.
Look at the table below for the constructions in positive, negative,
and question sentences.
"to be used to
doing"
Positive
Negative
Question
subject
+ to be + used to + gerund
subject
+ to be + not + used to + gerund
to be
+ subject + used to + gerund
Examples with negatives and
questions:
They are
not used to eating so much at lunch time. Maybe we should
serve them less food.
I am
not used to listening to music while I work. I find it
distracting when they turn on the radio at the office!
Are
you used to sleeping in late? I noticed that you got up at
11am this morning!
Is
this employee used to getting lots of praise from her
supervisor? We want to be sure she feels comfortable.
Erin is
not
used to having so much work! But Brenda tells her that
she'll be just fine.
"Used to do"
This construction means that the person did something regularly in the
past, but they don't do it now.
In this construction, notice that we use the infinitive, the base
form of the verb.
This is similar to the simple
past,
but "used to do" means that the person did the action regularly and
repeatedly: it was a habit. We only use this construction to talk about
the past. Example:
Tommy used
to go everywhere with his teddy bear, but now he's too old
for that.
More examples:
I used
to work in an office downtown, but now I work much closer
to my apartment.
When the children were younger, they used to go
to bed at 7pm, but now they can stay up later.
I always used to feel
afraid when my mother turned off the light! I was scared of monsters in
the closet.
Look at the table below for the constructions in positive, negative,
and question sentences.
"used to do"
Positive
Negative
Question
subject +
used to + infinitive
subject
+ did + not + used to + infinitive
Did +
subject + used to + infinitive
Examples with negatives and
questions:
Craig didn't
used to speak German, but now he is fluent! He studied for
five years.
I didn't
used to like vegetables. Now I love having salad with my
meals.
Kim didn't
used to enjoy reading very much, but now she finds it very
relaxing.
Did
you used to watch scary movies when you were younger?
Did
Melanie used to be a model? She's so beautiful!
Your manners are terrible! You always leave the door open! Did you used to live
in a barn?
These constructions can seem confusing at first, but with practice,
you'll feel comfortable with them. If you want to learn how to use more
confusing
word pairs, visit that section of our site for lots of
explanations and examples.