To be used to/to get used to

   James is used to working with Japanese people.

 

'To be used to something or someone' means to be accustomed to or familiar with something or someone.  If you are used to something, it isn't new or strange for you.

 

'To get' has several different meanings. Here, it means 'to become', so 'to get used to something or someone' means to become used to or familiar with something or someone. 

 

It is used to talk about past, present or future states or situations and can be used to make comparisons between the past, present and future.

 

To be used to

 

Affirmative:       subject + 'to be' + 'used to' + noun/gerund 

                 I'm used to working with Japanese people.

 

Negative:          subject + 'to be' + 'not' + 'used to' + noun/gerund

                             I'm not used to working with Japanese people.

 

Interrogative:    'to be' + subject + 'used to' + noun/gerund

                              Are you used to working with Japanese people?

 

 

 

To get used to

 

Affirmative:        subject + 'to get' + 'used to' + noun/gerund

                              She's getting used to her new boss.

 

Negative:           subject + 'not' + 'to get' + 'used to' + noun/gerund

                             She isn't getting used to her new boss.

 

Interrogative:    auxiliary + subject + 'to get' + 'used to' + noun/gerund

                              Is she getting used to her new boss?

Note that

 

1.     they can be used in different tenses - past, perfect, present and future - and with a variety of modals.

 

2.     'to get used to' is rarely used in the present simple.

 

Used to is a structure for talking about past habits and states and is sometimes confused with 'to be used to'. Although we occasionally find them in the same sentence, 'to be used to' does not refer to a present habit and is therefore not the present form of 'used to'.

 

I used to live in a big house [a past state in contrast to the present] so I was used to having a lot of space [I was accustomed to a lot of space]. Now I live in a much smaller house but I'm getting used to it.

 

 

If we want to talk about present habits, we use an adverb of frequency such as 'usually':

 

I usually eat in the same restaurant when I go to Paris.  

       I'm used to eat in the same restaurant when I go to Paris. 

  

   James travels a lot with his job so he is used to delays at the airport.

    Philippe is very nervous today. He isn't used to giving presentations in English.

     Maria doesn't like living in London. She grew up in the country so she isn't used to crowds, but I expect she'll get used to them before long.

    Are you used to working with this kind of plan?    Yes, we had them in my last job.

    In her previous job, Jenny worked in a busy office with lots of people. Now she works from home and she just can't get used to being alone all day.

   I didn't mind commuting to London when I was young. I was used to it then but I wouldn't want to do it again.

   Lewis used to hate interviews but he's had so many now that he's getting used to them.

    It's so quiet living here compared with the city but I expect we'll get used to it after a while.

   Using chopsticks was impossible for me for a long time but by the time I left China after working there for 10 years, I'd got used to it.