Be/Get used to

The structures be used to and get used to are used to talk about being accustomed to something or getting accustomed to something. Get used to talks about the process. Be used to talks about the result.

When Giovanni moved to London from Italy it took him long to get used to the cold. For Ivan, who moved from Moscow to London, the cold was not a problem because he was used to it.

Be/Get used to can be used with a noun:
He was used to the cold.
He got used to the cold.

Be/Get used to can be used with the –ing form:
I am used to driving in the rain.
I’m getting used to driving in the rain.

Used to is either followed by a noun or a verb in –ing form:
Tom is used to hard work. / Tom is used to working hard.
Peter is used to noisy cities. / Peter is used to living in noisy cities.

Get used to means that in the beginning a situation was strange or unusual but is not anymore or will soon stop being strange or unusual because of a passage in time.
When David moved to Japan it took him a while to get used to the food.

be/get used to is used in all tenses:
Now that I have been living in Egypt for ten years I am used to the heat.
Since I moved to the city, I have got used to the noise.
When I first moved to Italy I wasn’t used to eating so much pasta.
I don't think I will ever get used to waking up early.

Lesson by Tristan, teacher at EC Malta English school

Choose the correct form for the following:

• 1. Tom drove everywhere. He is going to need time to _ walking.
  
  get used to
  be used to
  
  
• 2. I _ using my phone to listen to music yet.
  
  am not used to
  am used to
  
  
• 3. David is extremely stressed. He hasn’t _ working so hard.
  
  got used to
  used to
  
  
• 4. I work shifts in my new job. I have to _ that.
  
  be used to
  get used to
  
  
• 5. Sarah thought she would never _ New York.
  
  be used to
  get used to
  
  
• 6. This winter isn’t so bad. We _ much colder weather.
  
  get used to
  are used to