"Be used to DOING" = to be accustomed to doing something (present/ongoing). "Get used to DOING" = to become accustomed (process of adapting). "Used to DO" = used to do something in the past (no longer). Typical confusion: "I used to working late" = INCORRECT. "I am used to working late" (I am accustomed) OR "I used to work late" (I had the habit) — both correct but very different meanings.
BE USED TO + -ING: "be accustomed to doing something." Expresses that something is NO LONGER strange, difficult, or new for the subject — it has become habit or normality. TO in "be used to" is a PREPOSITION (not the infinitive "to"), so it is followed by a GERUND (-ING) or a NOUN. "She is used to working long hours." "The team is used to tight deadlines" (noun). "He isn't used to presenting to large audiences." ALL TENSES: "was used to / is used to / will be used to / has been used to." GET USED TO + -ING: the process of BECOMING accustomed. "She got used to the new system quickly." "I'm getting used to the longer commute." GET (process/change) vs BE (state). "I can't get used to this weather."
After eighteen months leading the regional operations team, she is now fully used to managing multiple simultaneous projects under significant time pressure and is considered one of the strongest performers in the division.
The newly formed cross-functional team is gradually getting used to working across different time zones, having established a set of communication protocols and shared tools that make the coordination process more manageable.
Experienced portfolio managers are typically used to volatility and understand that short-term fluctuations in asset valuations are a normal feature of market cycles rather than an indicator of fundamental deterioration.
USED TO + INFINITIVE (BASE FORM): expresses past habits or states that NO LONGER EXIST. See separate entry "used-to-would" for full details. KEY STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCE: USED TO + INFINITIVE (no "to" after): "She used to commute by train" (past habit). BE USED TO + GERUND: "She is used to commuting by train" (accustomed now). GET USED TO + GERUND: "She got used to commuting by train" (she became accustomed). The "TO" in USED TO (past habit) is part of the verb and is followed by the BASE FORM (infinitive without "to"). The "TO" in BE/GET USED TO is a PREPOSITION and is followed by a GERUND (-ING) or noun. NEGATIVE: "She didn't use to commute by train" (past habit negative). "She isn't used to commuting by train" (not accustomed). QUESTION: "Did you use to work here?" (past habit). "Are you used to working here?" (accustomed)?
In its early years, the firm used to operate exclusively in the domestic market and used to rely almost entirely on referral-based business development, without any structured marketing or business development function.
The organization used to hold its annual conference in a single central location, but the shift to a hybrid format has allowed the event to reach a significantly broader audience across multiple regions simultaneously.
The processes we used to follow for regulatory reporting have been fundamentally transformed over the past three years, with automation now handling approximately seventy percent of the tasks that were previously completed manually.
Common mistake
THE MOST COMMON ERROR: "I am used to work late" = INCORRECT. After BE/GET USED TO, the TO is a PREPOSITION — not the infinitive "to" — and therefore it must be followed by a GERUND: "I am used to WORKING late." ERROR COMPARISON: "She is used to manage the team" = INCORRECT. "She is used to managing the team" = correct. "She used to manage the team" = correct (but means she no longer does). "She used to managing the team" = INCORRECT (mixes both structures). THE "IT" TEST: replace the gerund with "it" — if it sounds right = the structure is correct. "She is used to it" = correct (it = noun/pronoun). This confirms TO is a preposition (accepts object pronoun "it," not an infinitive). "She used to it" = INCORRECT (confirms that USED TO for past habit needs an infinitive: "she used to DO it").
Trick to remember it
THE THREE USES OF "USED TO": (1) USED TO + infinitive (past habit): "I used to work here." The action no longer happens. (2) BE USED TO + -ING (current state): "I am used to working here." It is no longer strange to me. (3) GET USED TO + -ING (process): "I am getting used to working here." I am adapting. TEST OF "TO + VERB": if the verb following TO is in BASE FORM (-ize, -go, -make) = USED TO (past habit). If the verb has -ING = BE/GET USED TO (accustomed). "Used to go" = past habit (go = base form). "Used to going" = INCORRECT standalone. "Be/get used to going" = correct (accustomed).
Quick rule
USED TO + verb in base form (infinitive) = past habit (no longer happens). "Used to work / used to live." BE USED TO + -ING = accustomed (state). "Am used to working / was used to living." GET USED TO + -ING = to become accustomed (process). "Getting used to working." "TO" in BE/GET USED TO = PREPOSITION (requires gerund, NOT infinitive).
Did you know?
"Be used to doing" vs "used to do" is one of the classic traps in English that appears in almost every B2/C1 level English exam worldwide. The source of the confusion is that the two expressions share the sequence "used to" but TO has completely different grammatical functions: in "used to do," the TO is the infinitive marker. In "be used to doing," the TO is a preposition forming part of the adjective "used to" (= accustomed to). This distinction was ignored or confused for decades even in reference textbooks. The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Grammar was one of the first to systematically analyze the difference and explicitly warn about the confusion. Today, English tests such as Cambridge C1 and IELTS include specific exercises on this distinction because it is considered a reliable indicator of advanced English grammar level.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Having relocated from a small regional office to the company's busy international headquarters, the new head of operations is still _____ the much faster pace of decision-making and the higher level of organizational complexity.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
In the previous decade, the organization _____ submit its annual sustainability report in printed format only, but digital publication now allows far wider distribution and accessibility.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
USED TO + verb in base form (infinitive) = past habit (no longer happens). "Used to work / used to live." BE USED TO + -ING = accustomed (state). "Am used to working / was used to living." GET USED TO + -ING = to become accustomed (process). "Getting used to working." "TO" in BE/GET USED TO = PREPOSITION (requires gerund, NOT infinitive).
THE MOST COMMON ERROR: "I am used to work late" = INCORRECT. After BE/GET USED TO, the TO is a PREPOSITION — not the infinitive "to" — and therefore it must be followed by a GERUND: "I am used to WORKING late." ERROR COMPARISON: "She is used to manage the team" = INCORRECT. "She is used to managing the team" = correct. "She used to manage the team" = correct (but means she no longer does). "She used to managing the team" = INCORRECT (mixes both structures). THE "IT" TEST: replace the gerund with "it" — if it sounds right = the structure is correct. "She is used to it" = correct (it = noun/pronoun). This confirms TO is a preposition (accepts object pronoun "it," not an infinitive). "She used to it" = INCORRECT (confirms that USED TO for past habit needs an infinitive: "she used to DO it").
THE THREE USES OF "USED TO": (1) USED TO + infinitive (past habit): "I used to work here." The action no longer happens. (2) BE USED TO + -ING (current state): "I am used to working here." It is no longer strange to me. (3) GET USED TO + -ING (process): "I am getting used to working here." I am adapting. TEST OF "TO + VERB": if the verb following TO is in BASE FORM (-ize, -go, -make) = USED TO (past habit). If the verb has -ING = BE/GET USED TO (accustomed). "Used to go" = past habit (go = base form). "Used to going" = INCORRECT standalone. "Be/get used to going" = correct (accustomed).
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy