Sign up for freeSign up

Your new pair programmer: be used to and get used to for new tools

Learners set be used to and get used to beside used to in this B2 English for IT lesson plan on AI coding assistants.

Grammar
Used to for past habits; be used to + -ing for what feels normal and get used to for the change, both in any tense: I'm used to reviewing AI suggestions.
Topic
Six months with an approved AI coding assistant at a fictional payments startup, with words such as a prompt, a hallucination, boilerplate and a sanity check.
Activities
A story, a blog post, a call about reviewing AI code, self-checking drills, a chat with a skeptic and a wheel, then a post and a recorded talk.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Warm-up: Meet Your New Pair Programmer

    • PictureUnlock
    • Open a box and talk about your toolsOpen the boxUnlock
    • Study the AI assistant vocabularyVocabularyTry it
    • Choose the word for each pictureChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2The Story: An AI in the Editor

    • Read the story of GitHub's AI pair programmerArticleUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer about the storyQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3At Work: Six Months with the Assistant

    • Read Rui's post on the internal blogArticleUnlock
    • True or false? Check Rui's postTrue or falseUnlock
    • Choose the rule each story showsQuizUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Listen: Trust, but Review

    • Listen to Lena and Rui talk about the AI assistantListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer about the callQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Grammar: Used to It Yet?

    • Study the scheme: used to, be used to, get used toGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct option to complete each sentenceChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with be used to or get used to in the right formFill in the gapsTry it
    • Rewrite each sentence with used to, be used to or get used to: fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps in the team chatDrag and dropUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Speak Up: The Skeptic's Corner

    • Choose the best replies to a skeptical colleagueChatTry it
    • Spin the wheel: talk about what you're used toSpin the wheelUnlock

  7. Chapter 7Homework: Your New Tool

    • Read your phrase bankReal-life documentTry it
    • Choose the correct option: -ing or base formChoose the optionUnlock
    • Match the sentence halvesMatchUnlock
    • Write a post about getting used to something newWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record a talk about AI tools and your workSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

24 exercises in 7 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • autocomplete
  • a pair programmer
  • boilerplate
  • a technical preview
  • a sanity check
  • double-check
  • over-rely on
  • try out
  • go over

Grammar: used to, be used to and get used to

Three forms look alike but say different things. Used to + base form is a past habit that is over; be used to says something already feels normal, and get used to says it is becoming normal. In the last two, to is a preposition, so -ing or a noun follows: I'm used to reviewing, never I'm used to review.

Used to, be used to, get used to

Use used to for the past. With be used to and get used to, “to” is a preposition: an -ing form or a noun follows.

Three forms on one timeline

A timeline puts the three in order: I used to write tests by hand is over now, I got used to the assistant is the change, and I'm used to reviewing suggestions is normal now. Only used to takes the base form.

Three forms, three meanings

FormMeaningExample
used to + base forma past habit or state that is over nowI used to write every test by hand.
be used to + -ing / nounsomething is normal and familiar for youI'm used to reviewing AI suggestions.
get used to + -ing / nounsomething becomes familiar: a changeIt took me a month to get used to the assistant.

Rui's six months

pastnow
  • used to write tests by hand (over now)
  • got used to the assistant (a change)
  • is used to reviewing suggestions (normal now)

Be and get change; used to doesn't

Be and get take every tense: I wasn't used to it at first. I'm getting used to it. I've gotten used to it. You'll get used to it. Modals work, too: I can't get used to it.

Timebe used to (a state)get used to (a change)
nowI'm (not) used to it. / Are you used to it?I'm getting used to it.
pastI wasn't used to it at first.I got used to it in a month.
up to nowI've been used to long reviews since my first job.I've gotten used to it.
futureYou'll be used to it by Friday.You'll get used to it.
after a modal or toYou should be used to it by now.I can't get used to it. / It took me a week to get used to it.

No present form of used to

For a habit now, use the present simple: I usually write the tests first, not I use to write. In questions and negatives, did takes use to without the d: Did you use to…? We didn't use to mention AI help.

No present form of used to

used to + base form has no present form: for a habit now, use the present simple (I usually write the tests first). In questions and negatives, use did + use to: Did you use to…? / We didn't use to mention AI help. In be used to and get used to, “to” is a preposition, so -ing follows.

From a blog post and a call

The examples come from a developer's post about six months with the assistant and from a call about it: In the first week, I wasn't used to reading so much code that I hadn't written. Now I'm used to asking for a first draft of the boilerplate.

  • I used to write every test table for refunds by hand.
  • In the first week, I wasn't used to reading so much code that I hadn't written.
  • After about a month, I got used to it.
  • Now I'm used to asking for a first draft of the boilerplate.
  • If they're used to instant answers, they might over-rely on it.
  • I'm still getting used to yours.

Typical mistakes

  • I'm used to review AI code.

    I'm used to reviewing AI code.

    be used to + -ing or a noun

  • I used to reviewing every line by hand.

    I used to review every line by hand.

    used to + base form for a past habit

  • I get used to work with the assistant.

    I'm getting used to working with the assistant.

    a change in progress: be getting used to + -ing

  • I am use to long reviews.

    I am used to long reviews.

    always used, with -d

More lessons on this grammar: Used to lessons and exercises

Try the be and get used to exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 12 auto-checked exercises
  • 2 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 2 articles
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 1 audio clip
  • 1 picture
  • 1 transcript

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say what you did before and don't do now: I used to write every test by hand.
  • say what feels normal with be used to + -ing: I'm used to reviewing AI suggestions.
  • talk about a change in any tense with get used to: It took me a month to get used to it. You'll get used to it.
  • write a post for your team about getting used to a new tool, and answer a skeptical colleague in a chat

Lesson 19 opens AI, security and ethics, unit 7 of English for IT B2 · Beyond the Code, in which learners talk about AI tools, security habits and ethical questions and agree on team rules. It sets be used to and get used to beside the used to for past habits from English A2.2, lesson 17. Lesson 21 ends the unit with a team policy for AI coding tools. A new tool suits this grammar: first it feels strange, then you get used to it.

Open boxes about everyday tools start the lesson, and twelve word cards with pictures and audio add a prompt, a hallucination, boilerplate and over-rely on. The story covers GitHub's 2021 technical preview of Copilot, an “AI pair programmer” that suggests code in the editor. At work, Rui's post on the internal blog looks back on six months with an approved assistant and the rules for it, and an AI-voiced call with Lena from Security follows. After the scheme come four self-checking drills, among them a gap-fill with be used to or get used to. Students then answer a skeptical tester in a chat and spin a wheel of questions about what they're used to.

Homework opens with a phrase bank, then a choice between -ing and the base form and sentence halves to match, both self-checking. Students then write a post about getting used to something new and record a talk about AI tools and their work, both for the teacher to review.

Grammar:
used to / be used to / get used to · -ing after be used to and get used to
Topic:
AI coding assistants · code review · pair programming

Teaching tips

  • Draw the timeline before the scheme: repeated dots for I used to…, an arrow for I got used to… and a point at now for I'm used to…. Learners add one change from their own job.
  • Ask for a real before and after: each learner names a habit they used to have at work, the one they have now and how long it took to get used to the change.
  • Split the group for the skeptic debate: one side argues that AI suggestions help juniors learn faster, the other that juniors skip the thinking, and each speaker uses be used to or get used to once.
  • Swap the tool for non-developers: testers, designers and support staff can write about a new tracker, inbox or design tool, as the writing task suggests.

Liked it?

Teach the whole lesson in edio

24 exercises in 7 chapters, ready to teach. edio is an online platform for language schools and teachers: ready-made interactive lessons, live classes, homework and student progress in one place.

  1. Start a free trial

    7 days, no credit card.

  2. Open the lesson

    Find it in the library of 621 ready lessons. Teach it as it is, or copy any chapter into your own lessons.

  3. Teach it live or as homework

    Students work in their own accounts, in sync with you during the lesson, and the practice exercises check themselves.

Teach it free for 7 days

The whole course: English for IT B2 · Beyond the Code

24 lessons at B2 for software teams, in American English. A year on at Kestrel Cloud, a fictional payments startup, Iryna and her team estimate work, write docs and postmortems, argue trade-offs, give demos and negotiate scope. Each lesson starts from a real case, from the Apollo 11 alarms to Conway's law.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Planning and estimates

    estimates and deadlines: approximating numbers, the future continuous and perfect, likelihood

    1. Lesson 1It always takes longerApproximating numbers in estimates
    2. Lesson 2By New Year's Eve, we'll have fixed itFuture continuous and future perfect
    3. Lesson 3Let's play planning pokerLikelihood with bound to, likely to and may well

  2. Unit 2 Docs people read

    specs and design docs: modals for requirements, participle clauses, plain English

    1. Lesson 4MUST, SHOULD or MAY?Modal verbs for requirements in specs
    2. Lesson 5Four kinds of docsParticiple clauses in documentation
    3. Lesson 6Just a request for commentsPlain English for design docs

  3. Unit 3 Incidents and postmortems

    telling an incident without blame: narrative tenses, the passive, the third conditional

    1. Lesson 7The 1202 alarmNarrative tenses for incident stories
    2. Lesson 8Blameless by designActive vs passive voice in a postmortem
    3. Lesson 9If we had had an alert…The third conditional: a different past

  4. Unit 4 Architecture and trade-offs

    comparing options and recording decisions: contrast linkers, modals of deduction, mixed conditionals

    1. Lesson 10Your system copies your org chartContrast linkers for comparing options
    2. Lesson 11It's always DNSModals of deduction for troubleshooting
    3. Lesson 12Write down the whyMixed conditionals for looking back on decisions

  5. Unit 5 Demos and tech talks

    a clear structure on stage: signposting, cleft sentences, describing trends

    1. Lesson 13The mother of all demosSignposting language for demos
    2. Lesson 1420 slides, 15 secondsCleft sentences for emphasis
    3. Lesson 15Numbers that tell a storyDescribing graphs and trends

  6. Unit 6 Stakeholders and scope

    saying no and finding yes: diplomatic language, as long as and unless, negotiating

    1. Lesson 16Pay down the debtDiplomatic language for hard messages
    2. Lesson 17Why meetings argue about the bike shedAs long as, provided, unless and otherwise
    3. Lesson 18Yes, if…Negotiating language for scope and deadlines

  7. Unit 7 AI, security and ethics

    AI tools, passwords and team rules: be used to and get used to, past modals of deduction, purpose linkers

    1. Lesson 19 · you're hereYour new pair programmerUsed to, be used to and get used to
    2. Lesson 20Change your password? Maybe notPast modals of deduction
    3. Lesson 21Rules for AI at workPurpose linkers for rules with a reason

  8. Unit 8 Growing your career

    feedback, retros and goals: phrasal verbs, reporting verbs, wish and if only

    1. Lesson 22Your next levelCareer phrasal verbs and goal frames
    2. Lesson 23Feedback that helpsReporting verbs and their patterns
    3. Lesson 24Start, stop, continueWish and if only for wishes and regrets

Questions about this lesson

How do you use be used to in English?
Be used to means something is normal and familiar to you, and an -ing form or a noun follows it: I'm used to reviewing AI suggestions. Our reviewers are used to long logs. Its to is a preposition, so I'm used to review is wrong. Be changes for the time: I wasn't used to it at first. You'll be used to it by Friday.
What does get used to mean?
Get used to means to become familiar with something new: it describes the change, not the result. It also takes -ing or a noun: It took me a month to get used to the assistant. You'll get used to writing shorter prompts. It works in every tense, and American English says I've gotten used to it. The B2 lesson Your new pair programmer on edio.ai drills each tense in a gap-fill.
What's the difference between used to, be used to and get used to?
Used to looks back at past habits, while be used to and get used to describe familiarity. Used to + base form is a habit that is over: I used to write every test by hand. Be used to + -ing says something feels normal now: I'm used to reviewing suggestions. Get used to + -ing is the change in between: It took me a month to get used to it.
When do you say "getting used to"?
Say getting used to for a change that is still happening: Right now, the whole team is getting used to the new AI assistant. As the continuous form of get used to, it needs am, is or are, and -ing or a noun follows: I'm still getting used to writing short prompts, not I get used to write short prompts. It can also be a subject: Getting used to the tool took me a month.
What's the difference between be used to and get used to?
Be used to describes a state that already feels normal; get used to describes the change that leads there. I'm used to reviewing AI code means it is normal now. I'm getting used to reviewing AI code means it is becoming normal, and I got used to it in a month marks the end of the change. In the B2 lesson Your new pair programmer on edio.ai, students answer a skeptic with both.
Is it "I'm used to work" or "I'm used to working"?
It's I'm used to working, with -ing after be used to, because its to is a preposition. The base form belongs to used to without be, for a past habit: I used to work late means you don't anymore, while I'm used to working late means late nights feel normal. Mixing them up gives two common mistakes: I'm used to review AI code and I used to reviewing every line.
Can you use used to for the present?
No: used to has no present form, so for a habit now, use the present simple: I usually write the tests first, not I use to write the tests first. In questions and negatives, did takes use to without the d: Did you use to work in support? We didn't use to mention AI help. For what feels normal now, switch to be used to: I'm used to reviewing suggestions.
What is pair programming?
Pair programming is two developers working together at one computer: one types, and the other thinks ahead. In 2021, GitHub borrowed the name for Copilot, an AI pair programmer that reads the code around the cursor and suggests the next line or a whole function. As a verb, pair works on its own: Let's pair for half an hour. The B2 lesson Your new pair programmer on edio.ai explains both meanings in its story.
What does hallucination mean in AI?
A hallucination is an AI answer that sounds sure but is invented, such as an error code or a function that doesn't exist. People use the verb, too: It hallucinated an error code. These tools hallucinate sometimes. The usual defense is a reviewer's question, Where is this documented?, and a habit: I double-check every suggestion now. In Your new pair programmer, a B2 lesson on edio.ai, a reviewer catches one with that question.
How do you mention AI help in a pull request?
Add one short line to the pull request description, such as AI help: first draft of the test table. Say what the assistant did and what you checked: I asked for a first draft of the boilerplate and went over it line by line. In the team policy of Your new pair programmer, a B2 lesson on edio.ai, significant AI help gets that line, and one-line autocomplete doesn't count.
How do I teach be used to and get used to at B2?
Start from a real change in the learners' working lives, such as a new tool, team or office. Put three points on a timeline: I used to… before it, I got used to… for the change and I'm used to… for now. Then drill the -ing after to, the most common trap: I'm used to working, not I'm used to work. For IT groups, a new AI assistant makes a ready example.
Are there interactive exercises for be used to and get used to?
Yes: self-checking gap-fills and chat replies test both the meaning and the -ing. This page plays four parts of Your new pair programmer, a B2 English for IT lesson on edio.ai, without an account: a call in which Lena and Rui talk about the AI assistant, a gap-fill with be used to or get used to in the right form, a chat with a skeptical colleague and the homework's phrase bank. The other exercises are locked.
Unlock full lesson

Teach this lesson with your students

Book a demoStart free trial

No credit card required