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'Be used to + -ing' = to be accustomed (it already feels normal); 'get used to + -ing' = to become accustomed (the process).
Side-by-side comparison
"Be used to + -ing" describes the state: you have already adapted and something feels normal to you. It works in the present, the past and the future (I am, I was, I will be used to...).
It took a while, but I am now used to waking up early for work.
She has lived in Canada for years, so she is used to driving in the snow.
We weren't used to eating so late when we first moved to Spain.
"Get used to + -ing" describes the process: you are adapting to something new until it stops feeling strange. It talks about the change that happens over time.
She is getting used to cooking for herself since moving into her own flat.
Living abroad was hard at first, but you soon get used to the different routines.
It takes time to get used to working from home.
Common mistake
"I am used to work late" is wrong: after "be used to" and "get used to" you need the -ing form, not the infinitive: "I am used to working late". The other slip is mixing state and process: "I'm used to the cold" says it no longer bothers you; "I'm getting used to the cold" says you are still adjusting.
Trick to remember it
Noun test: if you can put "it" or a noun after it ("I'm used to it", "I'm used to the noise"), TO is a preposition and the verb that follows takes -ing. To choose between the two: does it already feel normal? "Be used to". Are you still adapting? "Get used to".
Quick rule
- •"Be used to + -ing" = you are already accustomed (state).
- •"Get used to + -ing" = you are becoming accustomed (process).
- •TO is a preposition: that is why -ing follows, never the infinitive.
- •The past habit ("I used to live here") is a different structure: see "Used to do vs Be used to doing".
Did you know?
In "be used to" and "get used to", the word TO is a preposition, which is what trips most people up. The same happens with "look forward to", "be committed to" and "object to": they all take -ing. If you remember that TO can be followed by a noun here, you have it.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She is slowly _____ waking up early for work.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
After ten years in Norway, he _____ the cold winters. They do not bother him anymore.
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
She is used to _____ on the left side of the road.
Exercise 4 · Form the word
Related word pairs
In 'look forward to', the 'to' is a preposition, not part of the infinitive, so it is followed by a gerund (-ing).
'Used to' speaks of past habits that no longer happen; 'usually' speaks of habitual actions in the present.
'Used to' works for both past habits and states; 'would' works only for repeated actions, never for states.
'Used to do' describes past habits or states that no longer exist; 'be used to doing' describes being accustomed to something.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy