Used To, Would and Be Used To

These three look alike and mean quite different things. Sorting them out is a classic B1 milestone.

used to + verb — a past habit that stopped

I used to smoke, but I gave up ten years ago.

We used to live in Prague.

The key idea: it was true then, and it is not true now. The contrast with the present is the whole point.

Negative and question drop the -d:

I didn't use to like olives.

Did you use to play an instrument?

There is no present version. For a current habit, use the present simple with a frequency adverb: ❌ I use to go to the gym → ✅ I usually go to the gym.

Pronunciation: used to is said /ˈjuːs tə/ — with an s sound, not a z, and the two words run together.

would + verb — a repeated past action

Every summer we would drive to the coast.

My grandfather would sit on the porch for hours.

Would works for repeated actions, not for states. This is the dividing line:

✅ We used to have a dog. / ❌ We would have a dog. ✅ She used to be shy. / ❌ She would be shy.

For states — have, be, know, live, believe — only used to works. For actions, either does, and would sounds slightly more literary.

One more restriction: would needs the past time frame to be established already. You can open a story with I used to live in Prague, but not with I would live in Prague. Set the scene with used to, then let would carry the details.

be used to + noun / -ing — accustomed

This one is a different structure entirely, and it is about the present.

I am used to the noise now.

She is used to working nights.

Note the -ing: used to here is followed by a noun or gerund, never a bare verb.

❌ I am used to work nights. ✅ I am used to working nights.

How to tell them apart in one second — look at what follows. A bare verb (used to work) is the past habit. A noun or -ing (used to the noise, used to working) is the "accustomed" structure.

get used to — becoming accustomed

It took a month, but I got used to the early starts.

You'll get used to it.

Be used to is the state; get used to is the process of reaching it. It takes any tense: I'm getting used to it · You'll get used to it · I never got used to it.

The three side by side

Form	Followed by	Meaning	Time
used to	bare verb	habit that has stopped	past only
would	bare verb	repeated past action	past only
be / get used to	noun or -ing	accustomed to	any tense

I used to drive to work. (past habit, now stopped)

I would drive to work every Monday. (repeated past action)

I am used to driving to work. (I find it normal, now)

Catching up with an old colleague

A: Do you still cycle in?

B: No — I used to, but the traffic got too bad. I take the train now.

A: I remember you'd cycle in every day, even in January.

B: I did. I'm used to the train now, though. It took a while to get used to the early start.

Used to marks the abandoned habit, would fills in the detail once the past is established, and be/get used to both describe the present.

Test yourself

The quiz below asks you to pick between all three.