Level: beginner
We use will:
- to express beliefs about the present or future
- to talk about what people want to do or are willing to do
- to make promises, offers and requests.
would is the past tense form of will. Because it is a past tense, it is used:
- to talk about the past
- to talk about hypotheses (when we imagine something)
- for politeness.
Beliefs
We use will to express beliefs about the present or future:
John will be in his office. (present)
We'll be late. (future)
We will have to take the train. (future)
We use would as the past of will, to describe past beliefs about the future:
I thought we would be late, so we would have to take the train.
Willingness
We use will:
- to talk about what people want to do or are willing to do:
We'll see you tomorrow.
Perhaps Dad will lend me the car.
- to talk about typical behaviour, things that we often do (because we are willing to do them):
We always spend our holidays at our favourite hotel at the seaside. We'll get up early every morning and have a quick breakfast then we'll go across the road to the beach.
We use would as the past tense of will:
- to talk about what people wanted to do or were willing to do in the past:
We had a terrible night. The baby wouldn't go to sleep.
Dad wouldn't lend me the car, so we had to take the train.
- to talk about typical behaviour, things that we often did (because we were willing to do them) in the past:
When they were children they used to spend their holidays at their grandmother's at the seaside. They'd get up early every morning and have a quick breakfast. Then they'd run across the road to the beach.
Promises, offers and requests
We use I will or We will to make promises and offers:
I'll give you a lift home after the party.
We'll come and see you next week.
We use Will you … ? or Would you … ? to make requests:
Will you carry this for me, please?
Would you please be quiet?
- will and would 1
- will and would 2
- will and would 3
Level: intermediate
Hypotheses and conditionals
We use will in conditionals to say what we think will happen in the present or future:
I'll give her a call if I can find her number.
You won't get in unless you have a ticket.
We use would to make hypotheses:
- when we imagine a situation:
It would be very expensive to stay in a hotel.
I would give you a lift, but my wife has the car today.
- in conditionals:
I would give her a call if I could find her number.
If I had the money, I'd buy a new car.
You would lose weight if you took more exercise.
If he got a new job, he would probably make more money.
What if he lost his job? What would happen then?
We also use conditionals to give advice :
Dan will help you if you ask him.
Past tenses are more polite:
Dan would help you if you asked him.
- will and would: hypotheses and conditionals
See also: Verbs in time clauses and conditionals
Level: beginner
Expressions with would
We use:
- would you…, would you mind (not) -ing for requests:
Would you carry this for me, please?
Would you mind carrying this?
Would you mind not telling him until tomorrow?
- would you like ..., would you like to ... for offers and invitations:
Would you like another drink?
Would you like to come round tomorrow?
- I would like …, I'd like … (you)(to) ... to say what we want or what we want to do:
I'd like that one, please.
I'd like to go home now.
- I'd rather… (= I would rather) to say what we prefer:
I'd rather have the new one, not the old one.
I don't want another drink. I'd rather go home.
- I would think, I would imagine, I'd guess to give an opinion when we are not sure or when we want to be polite:
It's very difficult, I would imagine.
I would think that's the right answer.
- Expressions with would 1
- Expressions with would 2
In this dialogue, Speaker B uses "would" when answering A's question. Can you explain why use "would" rather than "is?"
A: Ronaldo wore this? Is my question idiomatic?
B: If you say it like that, it sounds as though you’ve been told he did wear it but you don’t believe it.
The normal question format would be “Did Ronaldo wear this?”
Hello koclok,
You could use 'is' here:
The normal question format is “Did Ronaldo wear this?”
Using 'would' is quite common, however, when giving advice. It makes the advice sound more polite - less like an instruction and more like a suggestion. You can imagine it as a hypothetical situation: If you wanted to say this properly, you would say....
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello, Peter M. You use "could" in your sentence "you could use 'is' here". What does "could" mean?
Hello again koclock,
'Could' here describes an option: You could do x or you could do y - it's your choice.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
I'm a bit confused, sir. Does "could" express possibility or conditional?
Hello again koclock,
I think your confusion arises from the fact that you are trying to limit the uses of 'could' to only two possibilities. Modals have a wide range of uses and the use of could is not limited to only possibility or conditionality. As I said, here could expresses an option or a choice.
You can read more about various uses of could on this page:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/can-could
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Why does this sentence use "will?" Why not use "would?"
It will be a real disappointment for Gareth Southgate more than anyone else - he has done so much for England.
Hello koclok,
Will and would are possible here. Will suggests the speaker thinks the situation is more likely; would suggests he or she thinks it is less likely.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you sir. Can you give an example dialogue of "will" that the situation is more likely? So both are clear for me.
Hello again koclok,
Certainly.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Can you explain the use of "would" in these sentences?
Scotland fans, this would be a good result for you in terms of the third-place qualification spot. Providing Steve Clarke's side can beat Hungary on Sunday.
68 mins
Georgia 1-1 Czech Republic
Oh dear. It looks like Patrik Schick is going to have to go off. He appears to be holding his calf.
That is a real shame for the goalscorer. This would be a real blow for the Czech Republic. He's holding his calf. You'd hope it's cramp at this stage of the game.
Hello Tempek,
In both sentences would describes a future situation which is seen as possible but uncertain: the result may not hold and Schick may end up not going off.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi everyone. I would like to understand the use of "would" in this sentence. Can you explain?
Note that, when there are multiple auxiliary verbs, some of these may be elided as well. For example, in reply to "Who's been leaving the milk out of the refrigerator?", any of "You've been doing it," "You have been," or "You have" would have the same meaning
Hi Tempek,
Would shows an action or situation that is just imagined, and not real (i.e., it is hypothetical). By using "would" here, the speaker/writer shows that they are not talking about a specific thing that they heard somebody actually say in real life. Instead, they are imagining this situation and question/answer.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Thanks, Jonathan. Is it OK to substitute "would" for "will" in the sentence?
Hello Tempek,
English teachers are often talking about hypothetical situations, i.e. situations when it's possible to use different forms, and so we use 'would' a lot. But you are right: it is possible to use 'will' here. But I bet 8 or 9 out of 10 teachers would say 'would'. (Do you see how I just used it!?)
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello, can you explain how "would" works in this sentence?
The gaffer has mentioned staying to me and I'd be more than happy to do that.
Hello Nyenok,
Would here makes the statement hypothetical in the sense that the speaker has not made a decision or perhaps even been directly asked. The speaker is thinking about what they might say or how they might feel if the situation arises, but is still not entirely sure that it will. If you change the verb phrase to make it present tense (I am more than happy...) then it suggests that the speaker has thought about this and already reached a decision, and that they consider it likely that they will be asked or even have been asked (a question of the speaker's interpretation of what 'mentioned' means here).
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello, would you please help me with below questions? Thank you.
Question 1:
We use will to express beliefs about the present or future:
John will be in his office. (present) = Does it mean " I believe John is in his office now" ?
Question 2:
I'll give her a call if I can find her number. = Does it mean "I don't remember her number now. But don't worry, I have written her number down in my notebook(or some other way I believe I can find her number) . When I find her number, I will give her a call." ?
Question 3:
We use would to make hypotheses:
when we imagine a situation: It would be very expensive to stay in a hotel.
I am telling my friend about my travel last month. I didn't stay in a hotel. Now I want to tell my friend why I didn't stay in a hotel back then. Could I say " It would be very expensive to say in at hotel, so I chose to stay in a tent."? or "If had stayed in a hotel, it would have been very expensive." ?
Question 4:
Below are some passages from a novel.
“After Wei Wuxian’s death, judgment of his character was no longer refutable. The discussions were mostly the same, and any small voice of dissent was immediately squashed.
However, gloom still firmly enveloped everyone’s minds.
Although the Yiling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian, had died at the Burial Mound, the remnants of his soul couldn’t be summoned.
Perhaps his soul had also been ripped apart and devoured by the millions of ghosts. Or perhaps it had escaped.
The former would naturally be a joyous occasion for the entire world. However, the Yiling Patriarch had the ability to topple the earth and move mountains and seas—at least, that was what the legends said. It would be no great task for him to resist soul-summoning if he desired it. If his spirit returned in the future…if he took over a body and was reincarnated, then the cultivation world—the entire mortal world, in fact—would be cursed to face even greater vengeance, sinking into an endless storm of darkness and blood.”
My question is about the use of "would" in the two sentences "It would be no great task for him to resist soul-summoning if he desired it. " and "... would be cursed to face even greater vengeance, ..." Are the two "would" the past tense of "will" to describe past beliefs about the future ? or just imagining situations ?
Hello Nora2024000000,
I'll try to answer each question in turn.
Yes, that's right.
Yes, that's correct. Note that the speaker uses 'if' rather than 'when', so it is not entirely certain that the speaker will be able to find the number.
Here the sentence describes a counter-factual past situation so would have been + verb3 is needed, not just would + verb.
In both sentences would describes an imagined situation - the result of a hypothetical condition introduced by 'if'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Peter,
Thank you for the reply. Hope you have a great day.
About the use of would in questions 3 and questions 4, they all talk about past imagined situations. Why is "would have been + verb3" needed in question 3 while in question 4 it is good to use "would+base verb" ? I know "would have been + verb3" is a way of talking about something didn't happen in the past, so this pattern doesn't fit question 4. But I still don't understand why "would + base verb" can be used an imagined situation in the past. Wouldn't it be confused with conditional 2 ( Second conditional: The second conditional is used to imagine present or future situations that are impossible or unlikely in reality. ) That's why I had thought it was the past tense of will to describe past beliefs about the future.
In another sentence "It would be no great task for him to resist soul-summoning if he desired it." Is this "would" also describes an imagined situation?
Please help me with the questions. Thank you.
Hello again Nora2024000000,
Sentence 3 describes a past imagined situation, as you say, so I think this one is clear. Sentence 4, however, does not describe a past imagined situation but rather something which is a general truth in the context of the narrative. This is true in several other instances in the passage. For example, it is unknown whether or not Wei Wuxian's soul was destroyed or escaped, but would have been a joyous occasion would suggest that the answer is already known [the soul being destroyed would have been a joyous occasion, but unfortunately it didn't happen]. Using would + verb avoids this.
The sentence 'It would be no great task for him to resist soul-summoning if he desired it' looks like a hypothetical statement about Wei Wuxian's abilities, rather than a description of a single event, though this is a contextual interpretation.
The sentence 'if he took over a body and was reincarnated, then the cultivation world—the entire mortal world, in fact—would be cursed to face even greater vengeance' describes a hypothetical situation rather than a counter-factual. We don't know if he took over a body or not, whereas 'If he had taken over...' would suggest that we know that he did not and are speculating about a counter-factual alternative.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello ,i am very confused by utility of present simple with would . We know that we cannot use present simple with past simple in general sense ,like "if it rains ,you could do that". It is as i know from all English rules i have been taught . But i often see such things like "i think it would be nice" How so?It is present with would! Or "I would think about it is rather possible than not" , and finally " If he is from US ,i would like to ask him..." . Aren't they present simple ,and would past? And it doesn't fit typical conditional structures .
Hello DolmaMinistr,
Would can be seen as the past form of will in certain contexts, such as when talking about the future in the past:
However, would is really a modal verb with its own meaning and use, and not only a past form. We can use would to describe future time, past time, to talk about probability, possibility, past habitual actions, hypothetical situations, to make requests, for example.
The same point (many different uses) can be made with could. In your first example, could is not a past form of can, but rather a modal verb expressing possibility:
The main point here is that would (and could) are not only past forms and so the rule you're trying to apply is not relevant to the example.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello
Is this correct ?
I would say he was about fifty ( mean would future in the past because he was about fifty )
I would say you are about fifty ( mean would future because you are about fifty )
Helo uo,
The phrase I would say here is not about future but rather an expression for making an estimate. You can think of it as part of a longer expression:
If I had to guess, I would say....
If you asked me, I would say...
The second part (was or is) depends on whether you are talking about the past or present. The present is clear: fifty is his age now, in your opinion. The past is less clear. It could mean at a time in the past (three years ago / in 2020 / when I knew him / when I was at school etc) or it could mean when I saw him, which may be recent enough to still be true (last week / yesterday etc).
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Peter
1- would could be past and could be present or future
would means past if the context of the past (meaning before or after a past sentence or last week / yesterday etc.)
would means present or future if the context of the present or future (meaning before or after a present or future sentence or Next week tomorrow etc.)
2 the difference between would in the past AND would have p.p
would in the past (means to talk about something that did not happen OR happened)
Examples
yesterday I would call Lisa but I didn't have her number (means did not happen )
yesterday I would call Lisa and I did (means happened)
would have p.p ( (just meaning did not happen)
Example
we would have gone for a swim. but we didn't go for a swim
Hello uo,
What you say in 1 looks correct to me.
In 2, the sentence 'I would call Lisa, but I didn't have her number' is not grammatically correct. When we speak about an 'imaginary past' (in other words, a past action that did not happen), we use 'would have'. So if yesterday I intended to call Lisa but could not because I didn't have her number, the correct form is 'I would have called Lisa, but I didn't have her number'. Your other example with 'would have' (about swimming) is correct.
I'm not sure what the intended meaning of 'would call' in 'I would call Lisa and I did' is. While it's true that 'would' is a past tense form of 'will', we don't use it to talk about wants or intentions in this way. Rather, we say something like 'I wanted to call Lisa and I did' or 'I planned to call Lisa and I did'. Actually, unless there is a particular reason to separate the intention to call Lisa and the act of calling Lisa, most of the time I'd say simply 'I called Lisa'.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello Peter
Is this correct ?
When I mean would in the past I must put past sentence OR Past time expressions (yesterday, last week) before OR after would OR only I must put past sentence OR Past time expressions (yesterday, last week)
before would ?
examples after would :
1- I would be late I thought ( mean would future in the past because I thought )
2- I would call Lisa but I didn't have her number ( mean would future in the past because I didn't have her number )
3- I would call Lisa yesterday ( mean would future in the past because yesterday )
4- I would play football every month When I was a child ( mean would typical behaviour in the past because When I was a child)
examples before would :
1- I thought we would be late ( mean would future in the past because I thought )
2- I didn't have her number I would call Lisa but ( mean would future in the past because I didn't have her number )
3- yesterday I would call Lisa ( mean would future in the past because yesterday )
4- When I was a child I would play football every month ( mean would typical behaviour in the past because When I was a child)
Hello uo,
In general, it doesn't matter if past time expressions go before or after 'would'. However, there are some restrictions. Since most time expressions are adverbials, and since different kinds of adverbials go in certain positions in sentences, many time expressions normally go before or after 'would'.
One example of this is adverbs of frequency -- words like 'always', 'never', 'often', etc. Normally these adverbs go between a modal verb and the infinitive. So you can say 'I would always go', but 'I always would go' or 'I would go always' are not correct.
Another example is (your sentence 1) 'I think' (or 'I thought'). Most of the time, this comes first in a sentence. So while it is possible to say 'I would be late I thought', most of the time we say 'I thought I would be late'.
Please note that, if I've understood you, your sentences 2 and 3 are not correct. 2 is talking about an action that did not happen, so it should be 'I would have called Lisa but I didn't have her number'. Sentence 3 would be something like 'Yesterday I was going to call Lisa'.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello TheLearnEnglishTeam,
JAKE Have I seen her dance?
BRIAN No. During high school, she got into a really good conservatory, and I ran into her a couple of times after that, and she was always about to get this, or about to get that. But each time, her arm would be in a sling, or she would be on crutches. She would have a pulled ligament. Or a stress fracture in her back. The last time I saw her, I ran into her on the subway, it was clear she hadn't danced for years. She was fat. You would have never imagined that she was the same girl.
Could you please clarify in the above paragraph the uses of "would"are for future in the past or for past state. As far as I know, in english would is used for past habits not for states. But here, to me it seems like the writer has used would for past states.
What is your point? please state..
Thanks...
Hello jitu_jaga,
The use of would that you are referring to is for describing past habits or states - used to for past habitual actions or states, would for only past habitual actions. However, this is not the use here as the actions/states described are not habits or even repeated actions but examples. What the author is really saying is that each time he or she saw the girl she had had an accident of some kind - each time a different accident. You can see this clearly because you cannot change would to used to in these examples.
The use of would here is actually a kind of prediction or expectation. Imagine the speaker is actually talking about meetings that happen regularly and is describing what he or she expects. In that case they would use will:
This is the use of will for expressing expectations. It describes what we expect based on what we know. The use of would in your example is the same, but in past time.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you Peter. Have a nice day...
Hi team,
I am just wondering, is this correct -
"If we do nothing, the rainforest would surely be lost within a generation or two" ? This example was in below web address:
<https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/will-vs-would/#when-to-use-will-or-…;.
I think it should be - "If we did nothing, the rainforest would surely be lost within a generation or two".
Regards,
Kiran
Hello kiranpn,
I agree with you that this is a non-standard form which incorrectly mixes real (likely) and unreal (unlikely) clauses.
I would suggest If we do... the rainforest will surely be or If we did... the rainforest would surely be..., depending on how likely doing something is to the speaker.
The site does not seem a very reliable source of grammar information in general. Even on that page there is another mistake where 'will' is described as forming a future tense. The overwhelming consensus amongst grammarians is that English has no future tense and that 'will' is a modal verb which can refer to the future, not a tense.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Could you explain to me why would is used in the sentence below?
The degree that I’m taking will qualify me for becoming a nutrition consultant, not a nutritionist. In order to become a nutritionist, I would need to attend medical school.
Does my second sentence have the same meaning to if I were to become a nutritionist, I would need to attend medical school?
Hello Khangvo2812,
This is a conditional sentence talking about a hypothetical situation, i.e. a situation that isn't true. This is because the person is studying to be a nutrition consultant, not a nutritionist.
Another way to express the same idea is: 'If I wanted to become a nutritionist, I would need to attend medical school'.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
In this dialgue, speaker B uses "would" when replying to an A's question. Why does B use "would" rather than "will?"
A: Hello everyone
I need your help
Sentence from Harry Potter book: "A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word".
My question is why here author has used "the other day" instead of "another". As far as i know in singular noun we have to use "Another"
B: "The other day" refers to a non-specific day in the recent past. "Another day" would mean "on a different day
Hello Selet,
'The other day' is a quite common phrase in English meaning 'a few days ago':
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/other-day
We use 'another day' when we are contrasting different days. For example:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Peter M. I ask about the use of "would" in comment B. B says "another day would mean...", why use "would" rather than "will?"
Hello Selet,
What the speaker means is 'If someone said "another day", it would mean "on a different day".' We often omit the condition when we think it's obvious from the context.
I've noticed that you're very interested in the uses of 'would'. If you haven't already done so, I would suggest reading through the comments other users have made on this page, as this is a topic that many have asked about.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Thanks Kirk. What is confusing me is why the speaker doesn't use "will" and say "another day will mean...", can you explain the reason?
Hello again Selet,
'Would' is used here because the speaker is reflecting on a hypothetical situation. The initial speaker said x, but if they had said y then it would mean.... [they didn't say y, so it is hypothetical].
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Because it is a supposition
Hi. The other day refers to "a few days ago" but another day uses for future. When we want to do something "In another day", means we intend to do it later in coming days.
Hello. What's the difference?
What do you think the price of a cinema ticket is?
What do you think would the price of a cinema ticket be?
Hi Crokong,
The first question is asking if you know this factual information (the price of the ticket). It uses "is" in the present simple to show this.
The second question is asking you to imagine or guess the price of the ticket. It seems to assume that you do not know what the price is as a fact. It uses "would" to show this.
Alternatively, the speaker may wish to show that they have not actually committed to buying a ticket yet (i.e., buying a ticket is only an imaginary scenario, not a real one).
By the way, it should also be: What do you think the price of a cinema ticket would be? (because it's an indirect question, including "do you think". The direct question is What would the price of a cinema ticket be?).
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Thanks, Jonathan. Could you explain why "would" is used in the following sentence? I usually say "a simple solution is .../a second measure is ...
There are several actions that governments could take to solve the problems described above. Firstly, a simple solution would be to increase the retirement age for working adults, perhaps from 65 to 70. Nowadays, people of this age tend to be healthy enough to continue a productive working life. A second measure would be for governments to encourage immigration in order to increase the number of working adults who pay taxes. Finally, money from national budgets will need to be taken from other areas and spent on vital healthcare, accommodation and transport facilities for the rising numbers of older citizens.
Hi Crokong,
You can say it like that too. If you say "is", you are stating this solution/measure in a straightforward and factual way. The solution/measure is X.
If you say "would", the meaning is more nuanced. It means that this solution/measure is only an imagined or hypothetical one, and it is not yet in actual use or consideration by governments. By saying "would", the speaker shows that he/she does not assume that any government is actually going to do these solutions/measures. The speaker probably says "could" in the first sentence (rather than "can") for the same reason.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team