Greetings language students! I’m back with a language tip this week. Today, let’s talk about being used to something. I talked about this a little in my Instagram stories, but I thought I’d include it here as well.

Routine * Schedule * Preference

If you do something on a regular basis or prefer to do something a certain way, you can say something like:

1. I usually eat dinner at 5:00.   OR   I am used to eating dinner at 5:00.
2. I usually get chocolate ice cream.  OR  I am used to getting chocolate ice cream.

Now be careful with the 2nd option (I am used to…). This is where most of my students mess up. Instead of saying “I am used to eating dinner at 5:00,” they say “I used to eat dinner at 5:00.”

This changes the meaning entirely! Let’s analyze it:

• I am used to eating dinner at 5:00. = I am currently accustomed to this ongoing routine
• I used to eat dinner at 5:00. = I no longer eat dinner at 5:00, but there was a period in my life in which I ate dinner at 5:00.