We use both 'be used to' and 'get used to' to talk about how familiar we are with something or a situation. In this lesson, we will look at the differences between the two.
BE USED TO
FORM:
FUNCTION:
I'm from Canada. I'm used to the cold.
I go camping a lot so I'm used to sleeping in tents.
We use 'be used to' to talk about things that are familiar and no longer strange or difficult for us. In the first example, 'be used to' is being used to say that the person (who is from Canada) has no problem with cold temperatures. In fact, he finds cold temperatures easy to handle.
Similarly, in the second example, the person (who goes camping a lot) has no problem with sleeping in tents. In fact, he finds sleeping in tents very easy to do.
I wasn't used to the cold at first, but now I am (used to it).
'Be used to' is typically used with present and past simple tenses because the BE verb is a state verb (and as you know, state verbs are not used in the continuous form). In this example, we can see both present simple and past simple being used.
We can modify 'be used to' by adding 'very' or 'quite' to emphasise the familiarity with something. 'Very' is more common and 'quite' tends to sound more formal.
A: Are you sure you can handle the cold? B: Don't worry. I'm very used to it. I worked at the South Pole for 9 months.
GET USED TO
FORM:
FUNCTION:
I've only been here for a few days so I'm still getting used to the cold.
We use 'get used to' to talk about things that are becoming familiar, less strange or less difficult over a period of time. In this example, the person is not used to the cold because they have only been in this new location for a few days. As a result, we say that the person is still becoming familiar with the cold (i.e. they are learning to deal with the new environment).
We can use 'get used to' with a number of tenses, and the difference in meaning depends on the tense being used. Present continuous is the most common tense (as in the example above) because it shows an action in progress, or that becoming familiar with something is still happening.
Here is 'get used to' used in some other tenses and forms:
I haven't got used to the cold yet. (= present perfect negative to mean 'I am not used to...')
I've just got used to the cold. (= present perfect positive to mean the 'becoming' is finished only recently and now 'I am used to...')
I hope I get used to the cold soon. (= used with hope to talk about the future)
Don't worry. You will get used to the cold soon. (= future simple to talk about the future)
It took me many months to get used to the cold. (= inf form as part of 'take time to...')
An additional negative form of 'get used to' exists which means that it is impossible or extremely difficult to get used to something (i.e. it is impossible or extremely difficult to become familiar with something). Similarly, it can be used to say that you don't believe you will be able to get used to the situation. We can use the modal verb 'can't' to explain this. See the example below.
It's too hard. I just can't get used to the humidity here. (= "I don't think I'll be able to get used to the humidity here.")
It is possible to interchange 'get' in 'get used to' with 'become' or 'grow'. These two alternatives make the phrase sound more formal and sophisticated, with 'become' being more common than 'grow'. You can see this in the examples below.
I have gotten used to the weather now. (= normal)
I have become used to the weather now. (= more formal)
I have grown used to the weather now. (= fancier)
To summarise, we can use a timeline to show how both 'be used to' and 'get used to' relate to each other.
FINAL POINT 1
You can interchange the 'used' in both 'be used to' and 'get used to' with 'accustomed. This makes the phrase sound more formal.
I am now used to the stressful working environment here. (= normal)
I am now accustomed to the stressful working environment here. (= more formal)
It is also possible to combine this point with the previous point (replace 'get' with 'become' or 'grow) to make the phrase even more formal and sophisticated. You might want to consider using this structure in a formal or professional text.
I have grown accustomed to the stressful working environment here. (= more formal and sophisticated)
FINAL POINT 2
Now that you are familiar with 'be used to' and 'get used to', it's important to remember the difference between these and 'used to'. To summarise, we can say that:
used to
is used to describe habits and routines in the past (Past Habits and Routines lesson)
is followed by the infinitive
I used to find sleeping in a tent difficult.
be used to / get used to
is used to describe familiarity and difficulty with sth
is followed by a noun or -ing
After many years camping with my father, I am very used to sleeping in a tent.
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