Used To

[Anonymous]

How do we use this verb?
Thanks

 

[Tdol]

Used to has two meanings:

1) USED TO- For past habits:

I used to live in Spain. = I lived there in the past, but don't any more.

2) BE|GET USED TO- become familiar with:

When I came to live in the UK, I had to get used to the awful weather.= At first it was strange and different, but it isn't now. BE\GET USED TO can be used for past, present or future time. :lol:

 

[Red5]

Here's what Atomica says:

used to

• Accustomed or habituated to. This expression is often put as be or get used to, as in I'm not used to driving a manual-shift car, or She can't get used to calling him Dad. [Early 1500s]
  Formerly. This sense is used with a following verb to indicate a past state, as in I used to ride my bicycle to the post office, or This used to be the best restaurant in town. [Late 1800s]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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[Tdol]

Do note that with BE\GET used to we use a gerund if we use a verb:
I had to get used to DRIVING on the right.

 

[Mike Rodriguez]

Just a quick question: Just what kind of verb is USED TO ? (to express habit in the past = formerly) In other web pages it is listed as an IDIOM, Please help me!

 

[MikeNewYork]

Just a quick question: Just what kind of verb is USED TO ? (to express habit in the past = formerly) In other web pages it is listed as an IDIOM, Please help me!

I would call it an idiom in modern English, but it does relate to an archaic use of the verb "use", meaning "to observe or follow as a custom". The "to" was originally the particle that preceded a following infinitive.