Opening - be/get used to

Jack: It’s raining again here.

Rich: You should be used to that by now. It always rains in England.  

Jack: Not always. But, I have to admit, at this time of year it does rain quite a lot.

Rich: And you have to get used to it getting darker, too. What time does it get dark again? Midday? Earlier?

Jack: Not quite that early, Rich, but yes it does take some getting used to, especially when the clocks go back.

Rich: Oh yeah, the clocks went back last weekend. I always find it difficult getting used to that. Do we get an hour’s more sleep or an hour’s less sleep when they go back?

Jack: It depends how much you sleep Rich! It’s just the time that changes.

Rich: Yeah, OK. The time doesn’t change in a lot of countries. I bet it would take some getting used to for some people if it was introduced.

Jack: I don’t think it would be that difficult. How long have you been living in Spain now? Ten years?

Rich: More or less.

Jack: There must have been some things that you found difficult to get used to.

Rich: Yes, there were. The blue skies, the warm sunny weather, the beach nearby … yes, it was difficult to get used to those things … it took time you know ... but I think I’m used to them now.

Welcome

Rich: Hello my name’s Rich

Jack: and I’m Jack

Rich: and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast

Jack: Where we talk about football and help you with your English.

Jack: What’s happening this week, Rich?

Rich: In this week’s podcast, we’re going to help you with some grammar. We’re going to talk about two structures, ‘be used to’ and ‘get used to’.

Jack: Both of these structures are used to talk about how familiar you are with something that has changed. That is, something new that was probably strange to you, to begin with.

Rich: You might have heard us using these structures in the opening section of this podcast. Jack said he finds it difficult getting used to the days getting shorter and the nights getting longer at this time of year.

Jack: I do. So, we’ll look at how we use ‘be used to’ and ‘get used to’ and the differences between them.

Rich: And, Don’t forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have this week’s football phrase for you to guess.

Jack: In the next section, you’re going to listen to two roleplays that will let you hear us using these structures in a natural context, then we’ll discuss the language.

Rich: In both roleplays, I will be a journalist and Jack will be …

Jack: Hold on. That’s what we want our listeners to guess. Your first task is to guess who I am in each roleplay. Where am I from? What’s my job? What do you know about me?

Rich: Sounds good. Let’s do roleplay one.

Roleplay 1

Rich: Hi there. Thanks ever so much for agreeing to this interview for Premier Skills English News, the weekly football newspaper for learners of English.

Jack: No problem, at all.

Rich: You’ve been in the UK for how long now?

Jack: Four years and a bit.

Rich: So, you must be used to the weather?

Jack: Haha! I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the weather in Manchester. It rains quite a lot.

Rich: I suppose there must be a lot that was new for you. What things have you got used to?

Jack: Well, maybe the fans and the stadium. It took some time to get used to playing in front of 70,000 fans. At first, it was a bit scary, but I think I’m used to the pressure now.

Rich: What about England and the UK?

Jack: The language; that takes some getting used to.

Rich: But your English is very good.

Jack: Thanks. Back home I learnt English at school and university where I used to study journalism. It’s not English that’s the problem, it’s my teammates!

Rich: What do you mean?

Jack: I can’t get used to their accents.

Rich: Yes, there are players from all over the world in the dressing room.

Jack: No, I have no problem understanding the guys from France, Belgium and Brazil. It’s the accents from Manchester and London that I can’t get used to.

Roleplay 2

Rich: Hi there. Thanks ever so much for agreeing to this interview for Premier Skills English News, the weekly football newspaper for learners of English.

Jack: No, problem.

Rich: So, you’re new to the Premier League this season. Are you getting used to it?

Jack: Life in London, yes. It’s easy to get used to life here. There’s so much choice and lots of Italian restaurants!

Rich: What about on the pitch? What have you had to get used to?

Jack: You know, football is the same everywhere but maybe the players have had to get used to me and I have to get to know the players.

Rich: Is that difficult?

Jack: No, I’m used to it. I’ve managed more than ten clubs.

Rich: But this is the first club outside your country?

Jack: Yes, things are different here but I’m getting used to it. Getting used to the weather, the food, the style of football in the Premier League. Everything.

Language Focus

Jack: Before we look at the language shall we tell everyone who I was in the roleplays?

Rich: No, let’s not. We want people to make their guesses in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Who was Jack in roleplay one? And who was Jack in roleplay two?

Jack: Right, the language. In the roleplays, you heard lots of examples of ‘be used to’ and ‘get used to’.

Rich: The first thing to remember is that these structures are used to talk about something that was new or unusual but is now less unusual because we have done this thing or seen this thing a few times.

Jack: These phrases are totally different from ‘used to’ to speak about things we did regularly in the past like I used to play football or to describe a state like I used to have long hair.

Rich: That’s right. ‘Be used to and get used to are used to talk about things we are now familiar with or getting more familiar with.

Jack: Actually, that’s the main difference between the two. ‘Be used to’ is used to say that you are now familiar with something that was unusual or strange before and ‘get used to’ is used more about the process of becoming more familiar or accustomed to something.

Rich: Let’s look at some examples. In the first roleplay, Jack said that it took some time to get used to playing in front of big crowds but he is used to it now.

Jack: I used ‘get used to’ to describe the process of becoming familiar with something and ‘be used to’ to describe something I was familiar with or accustomed to.

Rich: In the roleplays, Jack said, ‘I am used to getting to know new players’. This means that it is something that familiar to him and it’s not a problem now.

Jack: But many more of my answers included ‘get used to’ because they described a process of becoming familiar with something.

Rich: It’s also common to use can or can’t with ‘get used to’. In the first roleplay, Jack said ‘I can’t get used to their accents’ and ‘it’s the accents from London and Manchester I can’t get used to’.

Jack: One final thing to remember is that am used to and get used to are followed by a phrase with a noun or a gerund. For example, I’m used to the noise of the crowd now or I had to get used to all the singing and cheering in the stadium.

Rich: We have more activities on the website for you to practise and understand these two structures.

Pronunciation

Rich: Before we finish let’s take a little look at some pronunciation because it can be a bit tricky.

Jack: The pronunciation of ‘get used to’ can be difficult. We don’t pronounce the ‘-ed’ part of the word ‘used’, it joins together with the to. And the to is weak so the phrase becomes /ju:stə/ rather than /juːst tuː/. Listen to the sentences and try to repeat.

Rich: It can be difficult getting used to the weather in the UK.

Rich: It can be difficult getting used to the weather in the UK.

Rich: It can be difficult getting used to the weather in the UK.

Jack: Actually, if you’re speaking in informal situations, the ‘t’ can be pronounced:  ‘d’ so you might hear:

Jack: I'm used to the pressure now.

Jack: I'm used to the pressure now.

Jack: I'm used to the pressure now.

Jack: This pronunciation really isn’t that difficult ... once you’re used to it!

Task

Rich: This week we want you to imagine you’re a footballer. You’ve just been offered the chance to play in the English Premier League. Do you do it? Of course, you do!

Jack: But, this means leaving your country. What things will you have to get used to? What do you think you will find difficult to get used to?

Rich: Write your answers in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Football Phrase

Rich: Have you got a football phrase for us this week?

Jack: Yes, I have, but first, our last football phrase. The phrase was testimonial match and it is a match that is played in honour of a player who has been at a club for ten years.

Rich: Well done to Acicala from Spain, Kwesimanifest from Ghana, Sabanoleg and Liubomyr from Ukraine, Ahmed Adam from Sudan, Lakerwang from China, Zaid from India and Rafael Robson from Brazil. You all got the right answer.

Jack: This week’s football phrase is a difficult one. The phrase is *** ***** ** *** ****. The key word in the phrase describes the bones that run down the centre of your back. This phrase is used to describe the players that play in the centre of the pitch; the goalkeeper, a central defender, midfielder and striker. The phrase is usually used to describe experienced players in those positions.

Rich: A challenging phrase this week. Don’t forget to write your answers to the task and football phrase in the comments section below.

Jack: Bye for now and enjoy your football!