This is my guide on how to use: Used To, Use To, Be Used To, Get Used To, and Never Used To.  

Sounds confusing, doesn’t it?  Let’s explore!

Used To

Used to is similar to saying ‘formerly’.  It describes a past action or state that is no longer happening or is no longer true.

The form stays the same with all pronouns:

• I used to
• He/She used to
• They used to
• We used to

The form is subject + used to + verb.

Example:
I used to work as a dental technician. 

In the past I worked as a dental technician, but now I’m an English teacher. True story! 

Example:
There used to be a park here but now there is a school.

There was a park here in the past, but then they built a school in the same place.

Used to also refers to a past habit or continuous action in the past.

Examples:
She used to go to the gym once a week. (past habit)
He used to study all the time for his exams. (continuous action in the past)

Be Used To

Used to is not to be confused with ‘be used to’. Meaning: to be accustomed to something, normally out of habit or experience.

The form is be + used to + present participle (verb-ing)

Example:
The celebrity is used to being the centre of attention. 

Get Used To

There is also an idiomatic phrase ‘get used to’ something. Meaning: to become accustomed to something through experience.  This expression is different to ‘used to’ in that it can be used for the past, present and future.

Examples:
Nothing is going to change, so get used to it. (present)
My new car is different to my old one, but I’ll get used to it. (future)
At first Gemma didn’t like her new phone, but she soon got used to it. (past)

In the negative form we can use the following words:

present
can’t – I can’t get used to something.
will not or won’t – (refusal) – I won’t get used to something.

future
will never (prediction)- will never get used to something.

past
never (present perfect – up until now) – I have never got used to something.
(past simple- completed action) I never got used to something.

Used To vs Use To

We know that ‘used’ is a past tense verb. But in a question or negative sentence the auxiliary verb did or didn’t already shows that we are talking about the past.

To compare here’s a positive statement: I used to walk to school every day.

But here’s the same sentence as a negative: I didn’t use to walk to school every day, but I do now.

We remove the -d and it becomes ‘use to’.

Never Use To

We can also use the negative word ‘never’ with used to, but in this case, we haven’t already used a past tense verb, so we don’t drop the -d.

Example:
She never used to be so grumpy.

Not Like (I) Used To

Another negative way to use this phrase is with ‘not like’.  This describes something that happened in the past, and continues to happen now, but in a different way.  Something has changed. We often use the word ‘still’ in the subject clause.

The form is subject clause + but + not like + pronoun + used to

Examples:
He can still paint pictures but not like he used to. (In the past he was a better artist than he is now.)
I love you, but not like I used to.

Again, we haven’t used a past tense verb in the sentence, so we keep the -d.

Questions

We’re using did again so we will drop the -d.

Example of Questions:
Did you use to live here?

Pronunciation

When we speak normally in English our speech is connected so that the d blends in with the t, and the ‘to’ is a weak unstressed sound.  It sounds like /juːstə/ But at the end of a sentence it sounds more like /juːstu/

This happens when we ask or answer questions or with ‘not like (I) used to’, which I mentioned before.

Be sure to watch the video to practice your pronunciation.

As always, comments can be left under the video on YouTube.

Until next time!