Unit 6.

Past habits

Grammar Vocabulary Reading Listening Writing & recording

Used to Adjectives ending in My first job Listening comprehension Writing a
To be used to -ing and -ed Reading comprehension congratulation letter
To get used to Test Now you write
Grammar practice Vocabulary practice Discuss a situation
exercise exercise

Grammar

Used to

If we want to say that we did something in the past that we don’t do any more we use the structure:

Subject + used to + verb in the infinitive

Examples:

He used to walk to school every day, now he cycles. Antes él iba andando al colegio
subject used to verb in the infinitive todos los días, ahora va en bicicleta.

We used to live in a big house, now we live in a flat. Antes vivíamos en una casa grande, ahora vivimos en un piso.

You used to like swimming, why don’t you go to the

Solía gustarte nadar, ¿por qué no vas ya a la playa?
beach any more?

We can translate the expression into Spanish as “antes hacía…” o “solía hacer”.

On many occasions we find the expression “any more” (Brit. English),

“anymore” (Amer. English) with the structure “used to”. Any more can
be translated as “ya”, as in “ya no lo hago” (I don’t do it any more).

It is important not to confuse the structure:

subject used to verb in the infinitive The latter means “to be accustomed to something”.
subject to be used to Estar habituado a algo.
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We will study the differences later.

How do we ask questions with used to

Structure:

Did + subject + use to + verb in the infinitive?

Examples:

Did he use to write poems? ¿Solía él escribir

Did subject use to verb in the infinitive + object poemas?

Did they use to live in New York? ¿Solían ellos vivir en Nueva York? o ¿Vivían antes en Nueva York?
Did you use to read those books? ¿Leías tú antes esos libros? o ¿Solías tú leer esos libros?

How to answer questions with used to

Structure:

Yes, + subject + did

No, + subject + didn't

Examples:
Did you use to go skiing in the winter? ¿Solías ir a esquiar?
No, I didn’t
Yes, I did

Notice the structure with “used to” is in the Past Simple tense and,
therefore, we use the same structures that we use with the Past Simple
tense: “Did” for asking and answering questions and making negative
sentences.

How to make negative sentences with used to

Structure:

Subject + did + not + use to + verb in the infinitive

Examples:

I didn’t use to work all summer Yo no solía trabajar

subject did not use to verb in the infinitive object todo el verano.

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 To be used to

I’m not used to waking up early.

No estoy acostumbrado a levantarme temprano.

When we want to say that we are accustomed to doing something we use the structure:

Subject + to be + used to + verb in –ing form

Examples:

She is not used to going to bed so late. Ella no está acostumbrada a irse a dormir tan tarde.
Are they used to jogging every day? ¿Están acostumbrados a correr todos los días?
Why aren’t you used to having lunch at home? ¿Por qué no estás acostumbrado a comer en casa?

Compare these two structures:

subject verb to be used to V. –ing form object subject used to V. in infinitive object
You are used to speaking in public You used to speak in public
Tú estás acostumbrado a hablar en público Tú solías hablar en público

Similarities:

®® Subjects and objects are in the same place.

®® In both structures we use “used to”.

Differences:

®® Verb to be: In the first structure above we add the verb to be before “used to”. In the second structure “used
to” goes directly after the subject (without any verb "to be").

®® -ing versus infinitive: In the first structure the verb that goes after “used to” goes in the –ing form. In the
second structure the verb goes in the bare infinitive.

When we want to make affirmative sentences, ask questions or make negative structures with the structure “to
be used to something” we follow the same rules that we follow with the verb "to be" (in Present Continuous).

Examples:

She is used to doing her homework every day after lunch.

Affirmative
Ella está acostumbrada a hacer sus deberes todos los días después de comer.
She is not used to going to bed so early.
Negative
Ella no está acostumbrada a irse a dormir tan pronto.
Are you used to driving to work?
Questions
¿Estás acostumbrado a ir en coche al trabajo?

72 “To be used to” can also be followed by a noun. For example: I’m
not used to my new apartment. No estoy acostumbrado a mi nuevo piso.
Apartment (piso) is the noun.
To get used to

I’m getting used to waking up early.

Me estoy acostumbrando a despertarme pronto.

Look at the image above and compare it with the image on the page with to be used to.

When we want to say that we are in the process of changing a habit we use this structure:

Subject + to be + getting used to + verb –ing

What is the difference between these two structures?

1 Subject to be getting used to verb –ing form 2 Subject to be used to verb –ing form

In the first case, we add “getting” after the verb “to be” to indicate that the speaker is changing a habit. In the
second case, with just the verb "to be" before “used to” we indicate that we already have the habit of doing
something.

Notice: in Spanish we use “reflexive verbs” to indicate that we are in

the process of changing a habit. Me estoy acostumbrando. Ella se está
acostumbrando. So, think of “get” in this case as: me, te, se, nos, os.

More examples to compare:

They are getting used to eating in the office.

1 They are in the process of changing a habit.
Se están acostumbrando a comer en la oficina.
They are used to eating at home.
2 We indicate a “state”. We always do the same.
Están acostumbrados a comer en casa.

People are used to having free weekends.

We indicate a state: having free weekends is our
1 La gente está acostumbrada a tener los fines de
habit.
semana libres.
With new technology that allows us to be
connected all day, people are getting used to
working all the time. We are pointing out the fact that we are
2
Con las nuevas tecnologías que nos permiten changing a habit, it’s an ongoing process.
estar conectados todo el día, la gente se está
acostumbrando a trabajar sin parar.

1 Are they getting used to working at home? ¿Se están acostumbrando a trabajar en casa?
2 Are they used to working at home? ¿Están acostumbrados a trabajar en casa?

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All the above examples show “get used to” with the verb "to be". But,
it’s also possible to use this structure followed by a noun.
 Let’s see some examples:

Did he get used to his new University? Why can’t they get used to the new payment method?
¿Se acostumbró a la nueva universidad? ¿Por qué no se acostumbran al nuevo método de pago?

I got used to my new job very quickly.

Me acostumbré a mi nuevo trabajo muy rápido.

How do we make affirmative and negative sentences, and ask questions with “to get used to”?

®® With to be: If we use the verb "to be" before “get used to”, then we follow the same rules we follow with the
verb "to be" (in Present Continuous).

®® Without to be: If we don’t use the verb "to be" before “get used to”, then we follow the rules of all the other
verbs (except with "to be" and modals).

Notice that “get used to” is almost always used in the Present
Continuous or in the Past Simple tense because we either speak about
a habit we are getting/acquiring (un hábito que estamos adquiriendo) or
about a habit we used to have (un hábito que antes teníamos).

Let’s see some examples:

She got used to doing her homework after lunch every day.
Affirmative
Ella se acostumbró a hacer sus deberes todos los días después de comer.
They didn’t get used to waking up early.
Negative
Ellos no se acostumbraron a despertar pronto.
How can you get used to that?
Questions
¿Cómo puedes acostumbrarte a eso?
Answer No, I didn’t. Yes, I did.

Notice: We are conjugating “get”

Watch a video about “used to”.
directly: got is the past tense of get.

Grammar practice exercise

Fill the text with the correct form of:

used to to be used to to get used to

Example: I’m used to getting my hands dirty in the garden.

Changes: things aren’t what they 1 ………………………. be!

As I am at home more than my husband I 2 ………………………….. doing things my own way in the house.
He 3 ………………………….. express strong opinions about cleaning, cooking and shopping but I told him
if he wasn’t at home for much of the week he would have to 4 ………………………….. someone else making
the decisions.
There is a reason for his interest in domestic issues. My husband 5 ………………………….. work from home
so he spent a lot of time in the house. It was strange and it took a long time for us to 6 …………………………..
74 seeing each other throughout the day. But like all things we got into a routine and I 7 …………………………..
sharing house jobs and relying on him to cook some meals. He 8 ………………………….. make a fantastic
lasagne. Now his job has changed and he is away all day. I am still 9 ………………………….. the quiet in the
house and he is 10 ………………………….. me doing things my way on the home front!
Vocabulary

Adjectives ending in –ing and –ed

Compare these two sentences:

He’s bored. This book is boring.

Él está aburrido. Este libro es aburrido.

Notice that in Spanish in both cases we use the same word “aburrido”, but in English we use
two different words: bored/boring.
Bored: describes how a person feels. In Spanish we use “está” aburrido/a.
Boring: describes how an object or a person is. In Spanish we use “es” aburrido/a.

Here we have a list of adjectives that end in –ed and –ing with a slightly different meaning.

Adjective Meaning Example Adjective Meaning Example

que te That is a very annoying
I was annoyed by the noise.
annoyed molesto annoying molesta, sound.
Estaba molesto con el ruido.
molesto Ese es un ruido muy molesto.
Confuso
(idea) / They are confused. Confuso, It is a confusing situation.
confused confusing
confundido Están confundidos. poco claro Es una situación confusa.
(personas)

That is a very depressing city.

She is depressed.
depressed deprimido depressing deprimente Esa es una ciudad muy
Ella está deprimida.
deprimente.
We are very excited to hear
the news. Your trip sounds exciting.
excited emocionado exciting emocionante
Nos ha emocionado escuchar la Tu viaje suena emocionante.
noticia.
It was a fascinating
I was fascinated by his story. experience.
fascinated fascinado fascinating fascinante
Me fascinó su historia. Fue una experiencia
fascinante.
He was very frustrated after
the fight. I find it very frustrating.
frustrated frustrado frustrating frustrante
Él estaba muy frustrado Lo encuentro muy frustrante.
después de la pelea.
The mouse was frightened que te It is a very frightening film.
frightened asustado by the cat. frightening asusta, te Es una película que da mucho
El ratón fue asustado por el gato. da miedo miedo.
We are very interested in
that new technique. The show wasn’t interesting.
interested interesado interesting interesante
Estamos muy interesados en esa El show no fue interesante.
nueva técnica.
que te The food was very satisfying.
He is never satisfied.
satisfied satisfecho satisfying satisface, La comida fue muy buena
Él nunca está satisfecho.
gratificante (nos llenó).
estar en impresio-
I was shocked by the accident. The accident was very 75
estado de nante,
shocked El accidente me dejó en estado shocking shocking.
shock / horrible,
de shock. El accidente fue espantoso.
horrorizado espantoso
 Test

Choose the correct form of the adjective for each gap.

1. I was more ………………………….. after the explanation than I 6. I try not to get …………………….. when I can’t do something.
was before I heard it. A. Frustrated.
A. Confused. B. Frustrating.
B. Confusing. C. Both.
C. Both.
7. Who is the most ………………………….. in the class?
2. I try not to let ………………………….. noises bother me. A. Interested.
A. Annoyed. B. Interesting.
B. Annoying. C. Both.
C. Both.
8. ………………………….. everyone is very difficult to do.
3. The weather is …………………………...
A. Satisfied.
A. Depressed.
B. Satisfying.
B. Depressing.
C. Both.
C. Both.

4. Why aren’t you more …………? I thought you’d be happy. 9. I was …………………. with the news of the bomb.
A. Excited. A. Shocked.
B. Exciting. B. Shocking.
C. Both. C. Both.

5. I don’t know why everyone finds him so …………………………... 10. It was clear to see he was a ………………………….. man.
A. Fascinated. A. Frightened.
B. Fascinating. B. Frightening.
C. Both. C. Both.

Listen to the list of adjectives ending in –ing and –ed.

Vocabulary practice exercise

Translate the following sentences:

1 La película no fue muy interesante.

2 Creo que su historia (de ella) es fascinante.

3 Ellos no están muy emocionados.

4 Puede ser frustrante.

5 Creo que está frustrado.

6 Esa música molesta.

7 No fue una experiencia muy gratificante.

8 Él no es aburrido.

9 Él está interesado en tu oferta.

10 La situación es deprimente.

11 No creo que esté deprimida (ella).

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12 Estoy satisfecho con los resultados.

13 Ella está molesta con la visita.

Reading
My first job
I remember, quite well, when I got my first job. I I remember that in the new city I used to go jogging
was 14 years old. Mr. Thomas, our neighbour, came with Keno, my dog, every Sunday. Keno didn’t have
over to ask my father if I could wash his car. He had any trouble getting used to our new place because
an Aston Martin, a very expensive car, and I was we had a bigger garden and he enjoyed playing
delighted with the proposal. outside with my brother Mike and my sister Rachel.

With my father’s approval, I accepted immediately. I also used to play basketball on Saturdays at school.
It was an easy job to do. Mr. Thomas gave me the I was one of the tallest in the class, so they asked me
car shampoo, a couple of rags and a small cordless to join the team as soon as they saw me.
vacuum cleaner. The car wasn’t too dirty, but he
wanted to have it gleaming. After I received my first I didn’t have as many friends as I had had when we
payment, I went with my friends to the cinema and lived in the small city, but the few I had became very
spent all the money. close friends.
My best friend was Fred. He was the first of my
About a year later, my father got a new job in a
friends to get a car as he was a year older than the
different city and we had to move. It was easy for me
rest of us.
to get a job as a pizza delivery boy because there was
a take away pizza restaurant near our house. He used to have a very nice old pick-up truck. It
was fun to go with him and our other friends to
I decided to start saving the money I was earning.
basketball matches in the pick-up truck. After the
At first, I didn’t put it in the bank because I was too
matches we used to go to a small restaurant to
young to withdraw money, so I used to keep it in a
have lunch. It wasn’t fancy, but the food used to be
shoe box under my bed. My mother didn’t like the
delicious. I hear it is bad now.
idea of having my money there because she thought
somebody could steal it. When I turned 16 I got my driver’s license, and I
went to the bank with my shoe box and opened my
In the new city I had to go to a new school. In the
first bank account. My mother sighed with relief:
beginning, it wasn’t easy getting used to it because
My money hadn’t been stolen. By then I had saved a
it was very big –it had over 1.000 students- and my
lot of money, but I wasn’t rich.
classmates all already knew each other.
I had many different jobs before I graduated from
I never got used to our new neighbours, the Zegers,
college: waiter, bartender, receptionist, dog walker,
because they weren’t as friendly as Mr. Thomas and
but the one I enjoyed the most was the first one:
his family.
washing a luxury car and dreaming one day it would
be mine.

Vocabulary
Come over (v.): ir de visita a casa de alguien. Shoe box (n.): caja de zapatos.
Be delighted: estar encantado. Classmates (n.): compañeros de clase.
Approval (n.): aprobación. Know each other (v.): se conocían.
A couple (n.): un par. Have trouble (v.): costarle a alguien hacer algo.
Rag(s) (n.): trapo(s) Join (v.): participar, formar parte.
Cordless: sin cables. As soon as (adv.): tan pronto como.
Vacuum cleaner (n.): aspirador. See: ver.
Dirty (adj.): sucio. Close friends (n.): amigos íntimos.
Gleam (v.): brillar/ brillante (n.) Turn (v.): cumplir años.
Payment (n.): pago. Driver’s license (n.): carnet de conducir.
Spend: gastar, pasar el tiempo. Sigh with relief: respirar aliviado.
Move (v.): mudarse, mover(se). Hadn’t been stolen (v.): no había sido robada.
A pizza delivery boy (n.): un repartidor de pizzas. Waiter (n.): camarero.
Take-away (adj.): para llevar a casa. Bartender (n.): barman.
Withdraw (v.): sacar dinero del banco. Receptionist (n.): recepcionista. 77
Keep(ing) (v.): guardar. Dog Walker (n.): paseador de perros.
 Reading comprehension

7. How did they use to get to matches?

After reading the text choose the best answer for each question. A. In Fred’s pick-up truck.
B. In his car.

1. Did he save the money from his first 4. What did he think of the new 8. How did his mother feel when he
ever job? neighbours? opened an account?
A. Yes. A. Friendly. A. More relaxed.
B. No. B. Unfriendly. B. Surprised.
C. A little. C. Kind.

2. Why did they move to a different 5. What did he use to do with the dog? 9. What was his childhood dream?
city? A. Go jogging. A. To be rich.
A. For his father’s job. B. Play in the garden. B. To own a luxury car.
B. For his job.
C. To be near a pizza restaurant. 6. Why did he use to play basketball? 10. Which word best describes the
A. Because he was really good. narrator of the story?
3. Why didn’t he put the money in a A. Friendly.
bank? B. Because he was tall.
B. Lazy.
A. He didn’t trust them. C. Hardworking.
B. He couldn’t take it out when he
wanted.

Listening
Listening comprehension
Listen to the conversation about bad habits and answer the questions below. After listening to
the conversation, at least twice, answer the questions.

1. What has B given up? 5. What annoying habit did the flatmate mention?
A. Drinks. A. Snoring.
B. Crisps. B. Humming.
C. Cigarettes. C. Tapping.

2. How does the friend feel about it? 6. What did one of them used to do as a child?
A. Proud. A. Hit her sister.
B. Amazed. B. Copy her sister’s movements.
C. Doesn’t think it will last. C. Repeat everything she said.

3. What new habit has B developed? 7. What did her mother do to solve the problem?
A. Eating crisps. A. Feed them in different rooms.
B. Drinking more. B. Feed them at different times.
C. Chocolate.

4. How old was the burger and chip friend when he started 8. Where has this whole conversation taken place?
having cardio problems? A. At one of their homes.
A. 22. B. In the street.
B. 23. C. At a bar.
C. 26.
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Watch a conversation between two people talking about past habits (used
to/be used to/get used to).
Writing & recording

Writing a congratulation letter

Read this sample of a semi-formal letter of congratulation.

Your address
How to write a letter (formal) or note
January 15, 2011
Recipient’s address (informal) of congratulation
Dear Lisa, ®® Write the letter/note immediately after
Please accept our congratulations on your recent learning of someone’s success. A late
promotion. message could sound fake.

We just heard the news today from Susan Simmons ®® Explain in one sentence the purpose of the
who called me up to tell me the details. As you can letter/note.
imagine, we are all very excited to hear that you ®® Express your approval and discuss the
are going to be the new bank manager. We know importance of the achievement.
that you have worked very hard to get promoted
and think you really deserve it. ®® End the letter/note by restating your
congratulatory message.
We have always supported your promotion
knowing that you have got tremendous talent and ®® Finish with "Best Wishes" or "Yours Truly."
drive to get where you want. We are sure you are ®® Add your name. Include your title if you are
going to do a wonderful job in your new position. writing a formal letter.
Once again Lisa, our sincere congratulations on
your new position.
Best Wishes, Watch a video about how to write a
Margaret and Rob Sinclair congratulation letter.

Now you write

Instructions

Write a short and informal congratulatory note to a

friend who has just graduated from university. In English we say congratulations
ON not congratulations FOR.
Compare your text to this example:

Seville, March 22, 2011

Vocabulary
Dear Fabian,
To hear the news (v.): conocer las noticias.
Congratulations on your law degree! Drive (n.): garra, empeño.
I'm sure this is the first step of a very successful Deserve (v.): merecer.
career as you are a very talented and hard To do a good (wonderful) job (v.): hacer
working person. un buen (maravilloso) trabajo.
Position (n.): puesto de trabajo, cargo
I hope you can make time to have dinner with me Once again (adv.): nuevamente.
next week to celebrate. Restate (v.): volver a decir lo mismo con
Once again Fabian, my sincere congratulations otras palabras.
on your degree. Law degree (n.): licenciatura en Derecho.
Step (n.): paso. 79
Best Wishes,
Marco Santana
 Discuss a situation
A friend of yours is in hospital. You are going to visit him/her and want to take something for him/her. These
are the options:

Decide which one would be the most suitable and explain why. Record yourself with your opinions. The recording
80 must be, at least, between 1 and 2 minutes.

Important: use the Useful Language worksheet and the vocabulary and grammar already studied in the course
to help you.