Past Habits & Becoming Familiar with New Things

• In this lesson, we study how to talk about things we repeatedly did in the past, and how to express that a new design tool or workflow feels normal to us now.
• Structure
• Meaning
• Example
• used to + verb
• Past habits or states that are finished
• We used to work in Sketch.
• would + verb
• Repeated past actions (not states)
• Samantha would complain about bugs.
• be used to + -ing
• To be familiar with something now
• Brian is used to the new shortcuts.
• get used to + -ing
• The process of becoming familiar
• We are getting used to auto layout.
• Remember
• Use 'used to' for both past actions and past states.
• Use 'would' only for repeated past actions, never for past states.
• After 'be used to' and 'get used to', always use a noun or a verb with -ing.
• Do not confuse 'used to do' with 'be used to doing'.
• Examples
• Mark used to design in Seattle studios.
• Every morning, Kevin would open Photoshop first.
• Are you used to the new learning curve yet?
• Designers in Boston are getting used to the software migration.
• Common mistakes
• I am used to work in Figma.
• I am used to working in Figma.
• We would belong to the old agency.
• We used to belong to the old agency.

Complete the sentences

• When I lived in Chicago, I (use) ____ use Illustrator every day.
• Now, Anna (get) ____ used to the new tool.
• At the Austin studio, we (be) ____ importing files daily.
• In the old days, Liam (would) ____ check every single artboard.
• Are you (get) ____ used to the auto layout features?
• Our team (not use) ____ worry about license costs.

Sources: photo by DΛVΞ GΛRCIΛ on Pexels