Used to, be used to, get used to (and would): the difference, with real examples
Used to vs would for past habits, be used to vs get used to for what feels normal, and how native speakers really say them, with real clips.
Chief Language Pedagogy Geek @ Reelang
"Used to", "be used to" and "get used to" look almost the same, but they mean different things. One talks about the past. The other two talk about how familiar something feels. Here are the four forms side by side:
| Form | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| used to + verb | A past habit or state that isn't true now | I used to live in Chicago. |
| would + verb | A repeated past action (not a state) | Every summer, we would go to the lake. |
| be used to + noun / -ing | Something feels normal to you | I'm used to the cold. I'm used to getting up early. |
| get used to + noun / -ing | Something is becoming normal to you | I'm getting used to the cold. |
The quick test: after "used to" on its own, the next word is a base verb (used to live). After "be used to" and "get used to", the next word is a noun or an -ing form (used to the cold, used to living), because here "to" is a preposition.
Below, each form gets a short explanation and real clips of native speakers using it. After the rules, there's a section on how people actually say these things in everyday life, which doesn't always match the textbook. Tap any word in the subtitles to see what it means.
Used to: past habits
Use used to + base verb for something you did regularly in the past and don't do anymore. It always means "then, but not now". You don't need to say the "not now" part. Used to says it for you.
In this video, two siblings taste a drink from their childhood. Listen for "used to drink this all the time":
"All the time" and "when I was younger" often come with used to. They underline that it was a habit, and that it's over.
Two things to know about the form:
- It only exists in the past. There's no present "I use to". For a present habit, say "I usually" or just use the present simple: "I usually drink coffee", "I drink coffee every morning".
- It doesn't change for the person. I used to, she used to, they used to. Always the same.
Used to: past states
Used to also works for states: things that were true for a while, like where you lived, what you liked, what job you had, or what you believed. Verbs like be, have, live, like, love, know and think are states.
Here a bobsleigh athlete explains what she did before bobsleigh:
And here's a cookie ranking. Listen to the line right after "used to like those", because it tells you exactly what used to means:
"Not so much anymore." That's the "but not now" that used to always carries.
"I used to think..." is one of the most useful phrases with used to. It means "I believed this before, and I changed my mind". It's a classic way to start a story or a video:
The next line tells you what changed the speaker's mind. "I used to think X, but then Y" is a pattern you'll hear again and again.
Would: repeated past actions
Would + base verb can also describe things you did again and again in the past. It's common when people tell stories about their childhood, and it has a warm, nostalgic sound.
On a food trip in Greece, this vlogger talks about spanakopita, a spinach pie their mom loves:
She even says it: "super nostalgic". In this next clip, someone describes Lunar New Year in Taiwan. Notice how would repeats through the story, once the time frame is set:
Would also fits stories that aren't nostalgic at all. A barista describes a creepy regular customer:
"Would always" is a common pair. It stresses that this happened every single time.
Used to vs would
Both can describe repeated actions in the past, so often you can choose: "We used to go to the lake every summer" and "We would go to the lake every summer" mean the same thing. The differences:
- Would doesn't work for states. You can say "I used to have a dog" but not "I would have a dog" (that means something else: a conditional). You can say "I used to live in Ohio" but not "I would live in Ohio" in this sense.
- Would needs a time frame first. "I would play tennis" on its own sounds like a conditional. "When I was a kid, I would play tennis every weekend" works, because the listener knows you're talking about the past.
- Used to is the safe choice. It works for actions and states, with or without a time frame.
Native speakers mix the two all the time. A typical story opens with used to and then switches to would once the scene is set. In this scene from a sitcom, a woman talks about growing up with her sister. Listen for two used tos and then a would:
Didn't use to and did you use to
For negatives and questions, the standard rule is the same as for any past simple verb: the past goes on did, and the main verb goes back to its base form. So "used" becomes "use":
- I didn't use to like coffee.
- Did you use to live here?
That's the textbook spelling. In practice, you'll see "didn't used to" and "did you used to" just as often, and in speech they sound exactly the same, because the d in "used to" isn't really pronounced (more on that below). Many dictionaries now accept both, though exams and style guides still prefer "didn't use to".
Here a speaker in a conversation about drinks shows how didn't use(d) to works:
"I didn't used to drink tea, but now I drink it all the time" has the same shape as the cookie line: then one way, now the other. The subtitles spell it "used", which is how many native speakers write it too.
Questions with used to are common when you meet someone again, or when you're curious about their past. "What did you use to do?" is a gentle way to ask about someone's old job:
Notice the answer: "Oh, used to work in the restaurant industry." In casual speech, the "I" at the start is often dropped.
A negative question, "didn't you use to...?", checks something you think you remember. In this Friends scene, Chandler's new glasses remind someone of an old pair:
You might also see "used not to" ("I used not to like coffee"). It's correct, but it sounds old-fashioned and very British. You'll rarely hear it in American speech.
Be used to: it feels normal
Now the second family. Be used to means "accustomed to": something feels normal because you've done it or lived with it for a long time. It has nothing to do with the past. You can be used to something now, in the past, or in the future:
- I'm used to the noise. (now)
- I was used to the noise. (then)
- You'll be used to it soon. (later)
After be used to comes a noun, a pronoun, or a verb in the -ing form. Here's someone from London on a hot day:
"Not used to these summer temperatures": the summer heat doesn't feel normal to the speaker. And here's be used to with a verb in -ing, in a video about checking your dog's health:
"Used to being touched", not "used to be touched". This is the trap to watch for with be used to. More on it in a moment.
A Special Olympics swimmer from Vermont uses both the positive and the negative in one sentence:
The big trap: I'm used to work vs I'm used to working
Because "used to" looks the same in both families, learners often put a base verb after be used to. Compare:
- I used to work at night. (I worked at night in the past. I don't now.)
- I'm used to working at night. (Working at night feels normal to me.)
- I'm used to work at night. (Wrong.)
The reason: in be used to and get used to, "to" is a preposition, like the "to" in "I look forward to it". Prepositions are followed by nouns, and the -ing form of a verb works like a noun. A simple test: if you can put "it" after "to", you need -ing for a verb. "I'm used to it" works, so it's "I'm used to working". "I used to it" doesn't work, so with plain used to, it's "I used to work".
Get used to: it's becoming normal
Get used to is the process: something is new or strange, and slowly it starts to feel normal. Be used to is where you end up. Get used to is the road there.
A first day on a cruise, and a vlogger is still adjusting to the all-inclusive life:
"Get used to not paying for anything": get used to + -ing again, here with "not" in front of the verb.
Got used to (past) tells the whole story: it was strange, and then it wasn't. This speaker found Japanese sweets not sweet enough, at first:
This next clip has both forms in two lines, in a British accent. Someone who just passed their driving test says it took months to get used to driving alone, because they were used to the instructor next to them:
"Get used to being on me own" (me is how many British speakers say "my" in casual speech) and "I'm used to the examiner": the process, then the state.
Phrases with get used to
A few everyday phrases use get used to:
- You get used to it. What people say about something strange or annoying that stops bothering you after a while.
- Don't get used to it. "Enjoy this, but it won't happen again."
- I could get used to this. Said about something pleasant, usually luxury: a hotel room, a massage, someone bringing you breakfast.
Here's the first one in an episode of Friends, about Chandler's laugh:
And here's the third, from Coronation Street. A character in prison has been put in a wheelchair, and is surprisingly happy about it:
How to pronounce used to
This part helps with listening more than anything else. In "used to" (past habit) and in "be used to" / "get used to", the s is a real s, not a z, and the d disappears into the t. So all three sound like "YOOS-tuh".
Compare the ordinary verb use: "I used a knife" has a z sound and a d: "yoozd". Hear "YOOS-tuh" and you know it's one of the forms in this article. Hear "yoozd" and someone is talking about using a thing.
How native speakers actually say it
The rules above are what you need for writing and exams. In everyday speech, these forms bend in a few places. Here's what you'll hear, who says it, and whether to copy it.
"Didn't used to" (the two sound the same)
As you saw above, "didn't use to" is the textbook form, and "didn't used to" is everywhere in real writing. In speech, there's no way to tell them apart: both are "DIDN'T-yoos-tuh". Here's one more, from a creator comparing Japan and the US, talking about tipping:
Our advice: either spelling is fine in a message to a friend. In an exam, write "didn't use to".
"I use to" and "I'm use to" in writing
The same sound causes the opposite spelling mistake. Because the d is silent, many native speakers write "I use to live there" or "I'm not use to it". You'll see these spellings in comments and texts constantly. They're always mistakes in writing: the correct forms are "I used to live there" and "I'm not used to it".
You won't find "use to" in our subtitles, because they write the standard spelling. But listen to any of the clips above, and you'll hear that the speakers don't pronounce the d either.
"I'm used to" that sounds like "I used to"
In fast speech, "I'm" can shrink to almost nothing before "used to". So "I'm used to it" can sound a lot like "I used to it". Native speakers know from the grammar which one it is: if a noun or -ing form follows, it's be used to. Learners sometimes then write "I used to it", which is wrong. If you hear "used to" followed by a noun or "it", there's an "I'm", "you're" or "we're" in front, even if you barely heard it.
Would for states
Grammar books say would can't describe past states, and in careful English it can't. In relaxed storytelling, though, you'll sometimes hear native speakers say things like "my grandpa would have this old truck" or "we would live with my aunt in the summers". The story is already set in the past, so the listener understands. It's a casual habit, not standard grammar. Use used to for states and you're always right.
Used to could
In parts of the American South, you'll hear "used to could": "I used to could run a mile in six minutes", meaning "I used to be able to". Like "might could", it's a double modal from Southern speech. It's regional and informal. Understand it if you hear it, and say "used to be able to" yourself.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between used to, be used to and get used to?
Used to + verb is a past habit or state that isn't true now (I used to live in Chicago). Be used to + noun or -ing means something feels normal (I'm used to the cold), and get used to means it is becoming normal (I'm getting used to the cold).
What is the difference between used to and would?
Both can describe repeated actions in the past, like "we used to go to the lake" and "we would go to the lake". Only used to works for past states, so say "I used to have a dog", not "I would have a dog".
Is it "I'm used to work" or "I'm used to working"?
I'm used to working is correct. In be used to and get used to, "to" is a preposition, so a verb after it takes the -ing form.
Is it "didn't use to" or "didn't used to"?
"Didn't use to" is the traditional correct form, because did already carries the past. "Didn't used to" is very common and many dictionaries accept it, but in exams write "didn't use to".
Is it correct to say "I'm use to it"?
No, the correct spelling is "I'm used to it". People write "use to" because the d is silent in speech, but in writing it is always used.
Can I say "I use to" for the present?
No. Used to only exists in the past. For a present habit, say "I usually" or use the present simple, as in "I usually drink coffee".
How do you pronounce used to?
It sounds like "YOOS-tuh", with an s sound and no clear d. The verb use, as in "I used a knife", is different: it has a z sound, "yoozd".
How to get used to used to
Tables help you choose the right form. Hearing the difference at full speed takes practice: "YOOS-tuh" goes by fast, and the "I'm" in front of it is easy to miss. You learn to catch it by hearing it many times, from real people telling real stories. That's what Reelang is for: short videos of native speakers, with subtitles you can tap, at your level.
Start with English videos at your level, or open the app and let the feed pick for you. Every time someone says "I used to...", listen for what changed.