Past Habits & Being Familiar with Things

• In IT, we often compare old methods with modern workflows. We use specific structures to talk about past routines and becoming comfortable with new tools.
• Structure
• Meaning
• Example
• used to + verb
• Past habits or states that are no longer true
• We used to ship software on floppy disks in Boston.
• would + verb
• Repeated past actions or routines (not states)
• Developers would wait hours for the server room to cool.
• be used to + -ing
• To be familiar with a state or situation
• Sarah is used to working in an agile environment in Seattle.
• get used to + -ing
• The process of becoming familiar with something
• Mark had to get used to the new approval process in Chicago.
• Remember
• Use 'used to' for both past actions and past states (like 'know' or 'seem').
• Use 'would' only for repeated past actions, not for states.
• Follow 'be used to' and 'get used to' with a noun or a verb ending in -ing.
• Do not confuse 'used to do' with 'be used to doing'.
• Examples
• Our team used to rely on manual testing in London.
• Engineers would test every overnight build manually.
• Are you used to the new release cycle yet?
• We are getting used to the updated bureaucracy.
• Common mistakes
• We use to deploy code every Friday.
• We used to deploy code every Friday.
• I am get used to the new tools.
• I am getting used to the new tools.

Complete the sentences

• Back in Manchester, we (ship) ____ software once a year.
• During long projects, developers (wait) ____ hours for the compiler in Austin.
• David (be used to) ____ writing scripts under pressure.
• It took months to (get used to) ____ the agile framework in Denver.
• She (not use to) ____ like the waterfall model.
• Are they (get used to) ____ the new server room setup?

Sources: photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels