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I would like to know what difference between the two following phrases:

  1. I used to smoke when I was in United States.
  2. I'm used to living alone.

Is it correct to say "I'm used to live alone when I was teenager" Does it the same meaning?

ديناصور الأمة
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    I'm used to smoke ... means somebody uses you to smoke (maybe you are a cigarette!). I think you mean *I used to smoke..., and I used to live alone...* respectively. –  May 24 '14 at 16:45
  • @Fantasier Yes you are right I correct it. – ديناصور الأمة May 24 '14 at 16:49
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    @Fantasier: That's one possible interpretation. But since most people aren't in fact cigarettes (apart from gay *fags* in the AmE vernacular), "I'm used to smoke" is much more likely to be used to mean "I have become habituated to* smoke"* (i.e. - smoke no longer bothers me, I've gotten used to it). – FumbleFingers May 24 '14 at 17:34

1 Answers1

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I used to smoke when I was in United States - you don't smoke now but when you were in the United States, you did. OxfordDictionaries describes the phrase used to as an action or situation that was done repeatedly or existed for a period in the past.

On the other hand,

I'm used to living alone - you are accustomed to live alone. The FreeDictionary describes it.

Note the difference between I am used to and I used to. The former refers to your accustomedness whereas the latter talks about the things in past for a particular period and is not applicable anymore.

Maulik V
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