Hey, everyone. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking,
and welcome to this video on "used to", "be used to", and "get used to". Hey, what's this?
Oh, it's my book, 300 Practical English Words and Phrases. "Used to", "be used to", and
"get used to" all have individual entries in this book. So, if you enjoy this material
in this video, if you find it useful, and you want even more examples, more usage explanations,
more collocations, you can find all of that in this book. It has over 2000 examples. It's
quite thick, and I hope you enjoy it. So, you can get the PDF directly from my website,
or you can go to an Amazon store, and if Amazon delivers to your area, you can order it on
Amazon as well to own this beautiful purple book and everything that's inside. So, check
it out. I hope you like it. 300 Practical English Words and Phrases. EnglishAlex.com.
Check the link attached to the video. Now, let's move on to the material. So, I
want to separate something here. I want to separate "used to" and put it on this side,
and I want to put "be used to" and "get used to" on this side, because they are different.
The usages are different. "Be used to" and "get used to" are sister phrases that live
on this side, and "used to" lives on this side in the past. So, "used to" always refers
to the past. You can use it to talk about things that were true in the past, but you
want to emphasize that they're not true now. So, we use it to talk about past habits or
behaviors, past states or facts that were true before in the past, but which aren't true
now, and you want to emphasize that they're not true now. And the structure for "used
to" to talk about past states, past facts, past behaviors is "used to" plus the base
verb, or depending on your grammar book, the bare infinitive. I just prefer base verb.
It just works for me. It sounds fine. All right. So, let's look at some examples. "We used
to live in San Diego." This means we don't live in San Diego anymore, and we want to
emphasize that fact. So, we used to live there. We don't live there now. You can also say,
"I used to take the bus to school." So, maybe you're talking about, you know, school with
your friends when you were kids, and you say, "How did you get to school?" "Oh, I walked
to school." Or, "I used to take the bus to school." Of course, you're not in school now,
so you're not taking the bus to school now because you're an adult. All right. Adults
can go to school, too, and they can take the bus. I just want to specify that. Next, "Benji
used to play the piano." Maybe Benji lost his passion for the piano, or he lost his
interest in the piano. He doesn't play it now, but yeah, he used to play the piano. I
remember in high school, he was always playing the piano. So, he used to play it, but now
he doesn't play it. Next, "He used to be the CEO of the company." He's not the CEO anymore.
Maybe he retired and, you know, he wants to go on cruises and have vacations, but oh yeah,
he used to be the CEO of the company. He's not the CEO anymore. Next, "I used to believe
in ghosts." I don't believe in ghosts now, but when I was a child or when I watched horror
movies or paranormal TV series, I used to believe in ghosts, but I don't believe in
them now. And if you're an adult who believes in ghosts, also totally fine. It's good. Next,
"We used to be friends." I'm going to let that one sit a little bit because it's very,
very sad. Right? So, we used to be friends. We're not friends now. Maybe we say we grew
apart. So, you can grow apart from people. You have different interests. Maybe when you're
kids, it's very simple to become friends. You become friends because your friend likes
Pokemon. You like Pokemon. Hey, you have a Pokemon shirt. I have a Pokemon shirt. Want
to play basketball? Yes, that's how people become friends when they're kids, right? So,
"We used to be friends, but we're not friends now." Or, "She used to be my best friend in
university, but something happened that ended that friendship." Okay, so this is "used to".
It is the easiest of what we are going to learn today because it has one form. It's
always "used to", alright? If you use the negative, use "I didn't use to", and one thing
with the negative, just a reminder, when you have an auxiliary verb, you always put the
next verb in the base form. So, let me actually write this. If I say... I'll use a question.
"Where did you used to", sorry that it's together, "go to school?" Where did you used to go to
school? Oh, I used to go to school at Bernard's Elementary School. I don't know if that's a
real school, but I made it up. So, you can see here, "Where did you used to", so here
we remove the "d" because it is... There's an auxiliary verb, okay, in the past. The
auxiliary verb "did", and you use this with negatives as well. "I didn't used to think
that", "I didn't used to believe that". If you make sentences like that and you write them,
just make sure you remove the "d" basically. Alright, so that is "used to", always refers
to the past, always has the same structure. Now, let's move on to those sister phrases. On
this side, there's another board over there, I'm going to walk to it. And let's check out
"be used to" and "get used to". I'll see you there. Okay, so now we are in the "be used to" and
"get used to" room. So, like I mentioned, these are sister phrases. They both refer
to being accustomed to something or becoming accustomed to something. So, let's explore
that a little bit. Let's start with "be used to". So, the structure of "be used to", again,
unlike "used to", remember, base verb, very simple, "I used to live", "we used to play",
"he used to have". Here, it's "be used to" plus the verb, "ing", or a noun, or a pronoun,
and it refers to a state. Now, this will become less complex, I promise. You can use it in
the past, in the present, in the future. With "be used to", it's usually used in the present
and the past, however. We'll get to more of that in the future. And it refers to to be
accustomed to something or someone, or to be familiar with and/or comfortable with something
or someone. If you are used to something, it is not new for you. It is not strange. It
is not weird. It is something you are used to, something you are accustomed to, comfortable
with, familiar with. For example, "I'm not used to waking up this early." And first thing
you'll notice, with "be used to", you conjugate the verb "to be". So, if you're speaking in
the past, you would say, "I was used to", or "He wasn't used to", "We weren't", or "We
were used to". In the present, "I am used to", "You are used to", "He is used to". And
this example, "I am not used to waking up this early." This means waking up this early
is really hard for me. Normally, I wake up later. So, maybe your friend wakes you up,
"Hey, we need to leave the house", because you're going fishing, for example. You have
an early morning fishing trip, and you feel really tired, and you tell your friend, "Sorry,
I'm not used to waking up this early." This is weird for me. It's new for
me. I'm not accustomed to it. Alright, "I live in Canada. I'm used to driving
on the right side of the road." So, if I'm on vacation in a place where people drive
on the left side of the road, like London... London, they do that, right? I might say,
"Whoa, this is weird. I'm not used to this." This is strange for me. I'm in Canada. In
Canada, we drive on the right side of the road. So, "I'm used to that." So, "I'm used
to driving." And again, you see, "be used to", verb-ing, "I'm used to driving
on the right side of the road." Imagine, I went on vacation. I went to Seattle.
The weather in Seattle was really rainy. I wasn't used to it. So, around Montreal, it's
not super rainy. I think there's a normal level of rain. Toronto is similar. But Seattle,
apparently, is really rainy. So, I went to Seattle. I said, "Whoa, I wasn't used to the
rain." So, it was weird, it was new, it was different, it was unexpected for me. I was
not comfortable. I was not familiar with that state, okay? And remember, this refers to
a state. I am used to driving. This is my state on the right side. I'm not used to waking
up like this, like this early. This is my state. And I wasn't used to the weather. Like,
I was not comfortable with it. My state was discomfort or unfamiliarity
because I was unfamiliar with it. Next, we have "get used to". So, like I said,
"be used to" refers to the state of being accustomed, the state of becoming... Not becoming,
erase that. Of being comfortable and familiar with something. "Get used to" refers to the
process. So, of learning to become comfortable, learning to become familiar, learning to become
accustomed to a new reality. And it's the same thing. You can use it in the past, in
the present, in the future. I got used to it. I am getting used to it. Very common to
use "get used to" in the present continuous if you are in the process of becoming familiar.
Like, yeah, I'm getting used to waking up early because this is a new habit for you,
a new behavior you are trying to develop. So, again, refers to the process. To become
accustomed to something or someone or to be familiar with... Or, sorry, to become familiar
with or comfortable with someone or something. Let's look at the examples. "This isn't easy."
Like, I know all this grammar. It's a lot of examples. There are many examples. "I know
this isn't easy, but you'll get used to it." Okay? You'll become accustomed to it. "How
long does it take to get used to living in a new city?" Like, to get used to, to become
comfortable, to become accustomed to living in a new city. So, how was that? Not bad?
So, remember, if you're ever wondering, "used to", "be used to", "get used to", ah, too many
"used to's". "Used to" is by itself. Okay? You leave "used to" on one island in your
brain, and then you take "be used to" and get "used to" and put them on another island,
because they are sister phrases. I will use that term. I like that term. They are sister
phrases. One refers to the state of being familiar. The other refers to the process
of becoming familiar or becoming accustomed. I know it's a lot of information, but you know
what would help you to digest this information, to take it a lot slower? Number one, watch
this video again. That's a good thing. Number two, do the quiz that is attached to this
video. Number three, get my book. Yes, I'm showing you the book again, because all three
of these phrases are included in this book. Let me show you what it looks like inside.
So, whether you get the PDF or the physical book, it's quite nice. The entries are logical,
they are practical, there are many, many words and phrases that we use on a daily basis in
English. So, check it out, get the PDF or get the physical book from Amazon. Both of
them, you can check the link attached to this video on my website,
EnglishAlex.com, and that's it. So, tell me, what is something you are currently
getting used to? Leave a comment down below. Say, "Alex, I am getting used to waking up
early. I am getting used to a new exercise routine. I am getting used to practicing yoga
on a daily basis", for example. Okay, that's it. Thank you very much. Thanks for clicking.
Best of luck with all of your studies. Until next time, take care.
