'will' and 'would'

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: GapFillDragAndDrop_MTYzNzQ=
will and would 2: MultipleChoice_MTYzNzU=
will and would 3: GapFillTyping_MTYzOTk=

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: GapFillDragAndDrop_MTY0MDA=

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: GapFillDragAndDrop_MTY0MDE=
Expressions with would 2: GapFillTyping_MTY0MDI=

Average

I want to understand the use of "would" in this sentence. Can you explain how it works? If I use "will", what's the difference?

In the UK we would say the lift, not the elevator.

In the UK, we will say the lift, not the elevator.

Hello Arsya,

Would is very common in this type of statement. It can be thought of as a kind of hypothetical conditional in which the if-clause is omitted: If we needed to say this, we would say...

In sentences like this the present simple is also possible: this is what we normally do in this situation as an alternative to this is what we would do if we were in this situation.

Will is similar in that it also describes expected or predictable behaviour, but it is more commonly used for concrete situations rather than general ones, and for situations which are real or which might happen rather than abstract or imaginary situations. For example, you might use will to predict what how a particular person might react in a given situation, or where a particular person might be at a particular moment. In your example I think would is much better for this reason

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thanks a lot, Peter M. If so, what's the difference between the following sentences? The choice for using "will" and "would" is confusing me.

It will be very expensive to stay in a hotel.

It would be very expensive to stay in a hotel.

Hello team, I would be grateful if you could help me with the below. At first glance the below question looks like my previous question about "playing drums". On closer look it is not the same because the below is based on a past action whereas the "play drums" question is based on sth currently happening. Besides that, the below has a "would + past participle" as a possible answer. Mr and Mrs A hold a buffer style feast for the whole neighbourhood. Rice will be served and every guests will have to bring their own plates. Half an hour after all the guests have gone home, Mr and Mrs A clear up the tables. Mr A: Look! One guest has forgotten to take home his plate. There is not a single rice left on the plate. This guest ate every rice. I wonder who's plate it is. Mrs A: It must be Joe's plate; (a) Joe WILL eat every rice of his meal. (b) Joe WOULD eat every rice of his meal. (c) Joe WOULD HAVE eaten every rice his meal. Are (a), (b) and (c) all correct? Thank you.

Hello Yornis,

We've answered many questions on this topic for you already so why don't you tell us what you think the answer is/answers are and we'll tell you if we agree?

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Okay, no problem.

(a) It must be Joe's plate. Joe WILL eat every rice of his meal.

Dictionaries say "will" indicates habit or typical behaviour. So, this must be correct for the above context. Do you agree?

(b) It must be Joe's plate. Joe WOULD eat every rice of his plate.

Despite the fact that someone really did eat every rice earlier, the speaker has opted to use "would" here to express her statement as a hypothetical situation. I think this is allowed. So, (b) is also correct for the above context. Do you agree?

Something is a bit off in (c). Although it seems gramatically correct , I just can't put my finger on where the problem lies.

Could you tell me whether (c) is right or wrong for the above context?

Thanks.

Hello again Yornis,

(a) It must be Joe's plate. Joe WILL eat every rice of his meal.
Dictionaries say "will" indicates habit or typical behaviour. So, this must be correct for the above context. Do you agree?

Yes, I agree.

(b) It must be Joe's plate. Joe WOULD eat every rice of his plate.
Despite the fact that someone really did eat every rice earlier, the speaker has opted to use "would" here to express her statement as a hypothetical situation. I think this is allowed. So, (b) is also correct for the above context. Do you agree?

I think this is not form we would use. The speaker is talking about a real situation; a hypothetical situation would be the opposite: This can't be Joe's plate. Joe would eat every grain of rice...

(c) It must be Joe's plate. Joe WOULD HAVE eaten every rice of his meal.
Something is a bit off in (c). Although it seems gramatically correct , I just can't put my finger on where the problem lies.
Could you tell me whether (c) is right or wrong for the above context?

Again, this requires a hypothetical situation rather than a real one: This can't be Joe's plate. Joe would have eaten every grain of rice...

The difference between b and c is that b uses Joe's typical behaviour as the basis of the deduction, while c speculates on what Joe would have done in a specific instance and uses that to draw a conclusion.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you

Hello LearnEnglish team,

The Longman Dictionary entry of would at the 11th point says that would is used to say that an action is typical and expected:

You would go and spoil it, wouldn't you!
She insists that she did nothing wrong, but then she would say that, wouldn't she?

But your explanation says

We use "will" 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.

Can I use "will" instead of "would" in these sentences, abiding by your explanation?
"Wil" and "would" are used for typical behaviour in the present—then what is the difference between using "will" and "would" for typical and expected actions?

Hello ShetuYogme,

If you look at the entry for 'will' in the same dictionary, you'll see the following entry:

4 what generally happens used to say what always happens in a particular situation or what is generally true
Oil will float on water.
Accidents will happen.

https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/will

The main difference is that would in this case is generally used to show disapproval.

I think the broader point you need to keep in mind is that every language has multiple ways of expressing concepts, and that attempting to assign one form exclusively to one concept will always lead to these kinds of problems. Where there are multiple ways of expressing something the best way to familiarise yourself with the differences is to see a lot of examples by reading and listening as widely as possible. New Year is a good time to set yourself a goal, so if you have the time and possibility you could try to set aside a certain amount of time each day to read a couple of articles online in English on topics that interest you, and pay attention to any uses of will or would as you do so.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello team,

I am sorry for the long question above. Being quite new in this site, I did not know the proper things to do.

I have shortened my question to the below:

At 3 a.m, a couple are awakened by one of their neighbours

playing drums.

Wife: Someone is playing drums. It must be Henry.

Husband: No, it cannot be Henry;

(a) Henry WILL NOT play drums at 3 a.m

(b) Henry WOULD NOT play drums at 3 a.m

Are both (a) & (b) correct?

Thank you

Hello Yornis,

Since the husband is sure it is not Henry he should use a hypothetical form to be consistent. Therefore would not is the most likely form here.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello teacher,

(1) I am sure it was a typo above; you meant to write "Since the HUSBAND is sure....", right?

(2) Regarding your answer, isn't being sure always associated with "will" as opposed to "would"? So, why is "WILL not" wrong above?

(3) And another question is: "consistent" with what?

Thank you

Hello again Yornis,

1) Yes, that's right. I've edited the comment to change 'wife' to 'husband'.

2) You can be sure that something is true or sure that something is not true. If the latter, then you treat the situation as hypothetical. For example, I am sure that the Earth is spherical and not flat. If it were flat, we would not see ships disappearing over the horizon.

3) The statements needs to be consistent internally and consistent with the husband's other statement(s).

I think we've given about as much explanation in this area as we can and we're now just repeating ourselves, so I think we'll consider this particular topic closed. I hope we've provided some clarification for you.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

I am writing the below again, because it seems the question I submitted a few minutes ago did not reach you. Hello team, I would be grateful if you could help me with the below. Tom, Mr & Mrs A, Mr Mrs B & live in three separate houses in the same neighbourhood. It is now 3 a.m and the neighbours are suddenly awaken by someone playing drums. (1) Mrs A to Mr A: (a) That will be Tom; (b) That would be Tom; (c) Tom plays drums at 3 a.m (d) Tom will play drums at 3 a.m (e) Tom would play drums at 3 a.m (2) This question is still based on the same situation as no.(1) above, but this time in the house of another neighbour. Mrs B: That will/would be Henry; Mr B: No, that cannot be Henry; (f) Henry does not play drums at 3 a.m (g) Henry will not play drums at 3 a.m (h) Henry would not play drums at 3 a.m Correct me if I am wrong, but I think (e) and (h) are both wrong, because you once said "would" is for habitual actions in the past. What do you tthink of the rest, that is (a), (b), (c), (d), (f) and (g) Thank you.

Hello Yornis,

I'm afraid we can't answer this kind of long and intricate question. Please remember that we are a small team here offering a free service for many thousands of users. We try hard to provide as much help as we can but this kind of question, asking for explanations of multiple alternatives, is more than we can manage in the time we have available. Please try to keep questions short and concrete and we will try to help with our answers.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello team,

I would be grateful if your could help me with the below.

"Yesterday morning, the government announced their decision not to go ahead with the project. Your friend WOULD HAVE BEEN pleased."

What's the difference if the speaker had said:

Your friend WOULD BE pleased.

Thank you.

Hello Yornis,

...would have been... is speculation about the past: the speaker is talking about the friend's feelings at the time of the decision.

...would be... is speculation about the present: the speaker is talking about the friend's feelings now.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you

Hello team,

I would be grateful if you could help me with the below:

A teacher in an international school tells or reminds his class which consists of pupils of various races:

(1) Do not make statements that WILL hurt other races.

(2) Do not make statements that WOULD hurt other races.

Are both no.1 and no. 2 correct, or only one of those is correct?

Thank you.

Hello Yornis,

Both sentences are possible. The first sentence (with 'will') suggests that there is a realistic possibility of such a thing happening, so the teacher might use it if the situation has already occurred, for example. The second sentence (with 'would') suggests that the teacher is speaking in more hypothetical terms.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you

Hello teachers,

I hope it looks like I have posted it as a new topic this time.

I hope you can help me with the below. All the below three are from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

(1) stagger (3rd meaning):

To arrange for events that WOULD normally happen at the same time to start or happen at different times.

To some people, at first glance, the "would" above is a word used to refer to past events. But as someone who reads your website a lot, I know I cannot be so sure about it.

(2)matter-of-fact:

Without showing any emotion, especially in a situation in which you WOULD expect somebody to express their feelings.

(3) role-play:

A learning activity in which you behave in the way somebody else WOULD behave in a particular situation.

What are the functions of "would" in no. 1, 2, 3 above?

Thank you.

Hello Yornis,

Here 'would' is used to speak about hypothetical, imaginary situations. The dictionary definition asks you to imagine a possible (hypothetical) situation and calls on your knowledge and/or experience of similar situations to explain the meaning of the word.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Hello team,

Your answer above is for all three of my questions, right?

Thank you.

Hello Yornis,

Yes, it is. I'm sorry that wasn't clear.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Hello team,

Thank you for your answer. I would be grateful if you could help me with the below, which looks llike no. 2 above because of the fact it uses "you would expect", but I am sure the answer will be different this time.

(1) It is harder to find than you WOULD expect.

Certainly there is nothing hypothetical about this. What is the function of "would" here?

(2) If I use "WILL" instead:

It is harder to find than you WILL expect.

Can "will" here be used to refer to the present? ( As opposed to the future, which usually is the case for the word "will"). If it is referring to the present here, what is the function of "will" in this sentence?

Thank you.

Hello Yornis,

(1) It is harder to find than you WOULD expect.
Certainly there is nothing hypothetical about this. What is the function of "would" here?

(2) If I use "WILL" instead:

It is harder to find than you WILL expect.

You could consider these as unspoken/implied conditionals:

...than you would expect if you thought about it.

...than you will expect if you think about it.

However, languages do not always work in this way. Not all ways in which the language is used fit exact rules. Forms develop as a commonly understood means of expression tied into shared expectations and understanding, so a grammatical form such as would can express social conventions such as politeness rather than just fitting a grammatical rule. The expressions ...than you would and ...than you will here are used by the speaker to signal that the information is unexpected and probably surprising, with would being a little more tentative than will. I would not look for strict grammatical rules here but rather treat them as communicative expressions. I think this is why you have so many questions about would: you expect it to fit a logical grammatical rule each time whereas often it is part of a communicative meaning in social interaction.

Can "will" here be used to refer to the present? ( As opposed to the future, which usually is the case for the word "will"). If it is referring to the present here, what is the function of "will" in this sentence?

The meaning of will is not tied to future time. It expresses a prediction or belief and it can quite easily be used with a present meaning: If I know her routine, right now she will be having a cup of coffee and reading a book.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you

Hello team

I would like to know the function of the modal verb 'would' in 'wh' questions (What would, Where would, Why would, How would, When would, Who would). What is the difference if 'would' is replaced by 'will' in these question sentences? Could you please explain in which situation we use would and will in 'wh' questions? Kindly clarify.

Hello mailofsus,

I'm afraid it would take quite a long time to answer this question, as both 'will' and 'would' have many different uses and what they mean also depends a lot on the context.

If you can ask a more specific question, we can try to help you.

I'd also suggest reading through the comments on this page. Several users have asked multiple questions about the difference between 'will' and 'would' and so there is quite a lot of information in their questions and our responses.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Hello Kirk

Thank you for the reply. Actually I am learning different functions and uses of the modal verb 'would'. Though I can understand most of its functions and differentiate them from will, I can't understand the difference it makes when we use it with WH questions. For example: How will you do this? vs How would you do this? Where will he go? vs Where would he go? Do these kind of 'wh + will/would' questions give the same meaning or different meaning and can be used for the same situations or different situations? I don't understand only this particular grammar function of 'would'. I hope I have stated my doubt clearly.

Hello mailofsus,

In general, 'will' shows that we conceive of the situation as more real or concrete and 'would' shows that we conceive of it as more imaginary.

For example, let's we are in a café in Bratislava speaking of living without electricity. If there is a planned electricity outage for this evening, then 'will' or 'are going to' are the best forms to use (not 'would') to speak about this future situation.

But if we speak about some imaginary or hypothetical situation -- for example, a trip to the deepest part of the Amazon -- then 'would' is more appropriate because it's a situation that we don't imagine as likely or existing in our near future.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Hello Krik,

Thanks for the reply.

So, Wh+will sentences are asked for a response based on a real plan in the future and

Wh+would sentences are asked for a response based on a unreal situation.

For example

How will we serve the guests if there is no electricity in the evening?

Where would we rest in the Amazon if it rains continuously?

Please let me know whether my understanding is right.

TIA

Hello mailofsus,

Yes, that is the idea -- good work.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Hello team, This is my first question ever to the team. From your previous answers to those who write, i notice that you often say context is important in order for you to give the right answers.So, i am giving the full context below. (1) My next-door neighbour whistles at 6 a.m EVERY morning. My house guest is staying in my house for 2 days. On the first morning, at 6 a.m, he hears a faint sound coming from outside my house. House guest: What sound is that? Me: It is my next door neighbor whistling; (a) he whistles at 6 a.m (b) he will whistle 6 a.m (c) he would whistle at 6 a.m Correct me if i am wrong, but i have no doubt that (a) and (b) are correct. Not sure about (c) though. If (c) is correct, could you tell me why "would" is correct here? (2) For my second question, the situation is the same as no (1) above, except that my next door neighbour SOMETIMES, or often, whistles at 6 a.m, NOT every 6 a.m. Would (a), (b), (c) above be correct for this second question of mine? Thanks

Hello Yornis,

(1) My next-door neighbour whistles at 6 a.m EVERY morning. My house guest is staying in my house for 2 days. On the first morning, at 6 a.m, he hears a faint sound coming from outside my house.
House guest: What sound is that?
Me: It is my next door neighbor whistling;
(a) he whistles at 6 a.m
(b) he will whistle 6 a.m
(c) he would whistle at 6 a.m
Correct me if i am wrong, but i have no doubt that (a) and (b) are correct. Not sure about (c) though. If (c) is correct, could you tell me why "would" is correct here?

(a) is the most likely response as it describes typical behaviour.

(b) is possible but less common. We use will to describe typical behaviour when we find it a little irritating or excessive, and we usually stress will to give a sense of the person insisting on doing something.

(c) is not correct in this context as you are describing a present situation; would is used for past habitual actions which are no longer happening.

(2) For my second question, the situation is the same as no (1) above, except that my next door neighbour SOMETIMES, or often, whistles at 6 a.m, NOT every 6 a.m. Would (a), (b), (c) above be correct for this second question of mine? Thanks

The answer is the same. Whether or not the habit is more or less frequent does not change the form we use.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thanks for replying.

Thanks for a reply to my previous question. First of all, I would like to apologise for writing a question that is a bit too long here, but it is necessary in order for me to show you a comparison between no. 1 and number 2 below. Question no. 1: At midnight, a couple hears a noise coming from outside their house, which is actually the sound of an owl hooting. Mrs Jones: I wonder what sound that is. Mr Jones: I am sure the sound is made by an owl. (a) Owls hoot at night. (b) Owls will hoot at night. (c) Owls would hoot at night. Based on your answer to my question a few days ago ( about my whistling neighbour), (a) here should be correct. But there is be a slight "problem" with (b). In your answer to my "whistling neighbour" question, you said that "will" is used to describe typical behaviour when the speaker finds it a little irritating or excessive. In this case, the owl's hooting does not irritate or annoy Mr and Mrs Jones at all. Despite that, i think the use of "will" in (b) here by Mr Jones is perfectly suitable. Do you agree? In the case of (c), as you have said in my "whistling neighbour" question, "would" is for past habitual actions which are no longer happening. So, (c) here is wrong. The reason I am writing (c) here is to make a comparison with my question no. 2 below. Question no. 2: Mary: Fruits that I placed at the window of my house are sometimes stolen. I wonder who the culprit is. Jane: The culprit could be that monkey which your next-door neighbour keeps as a pet. (a) Monkeys steal things, you know. (b) Monkeys will steal things, you know. (c) Monkeys would steal things, you know. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think (a) and (b) are correct here. Now comes the interesting part. Please read no.2 (c) here and compare it with no. 1 (c) above. Some people would assume that since no. 1 (c) above is wrong, no. 2 ( c ) here must be wrong also. But i have a good reason to think that using "would" in no. 2 (c) is correct despite the fact that it (the stealing of fruits) is still happening. I will tell you my reason for thinking so if you disagree with me. OK, that's all. Thanks.

Hello again Yornis,

Question no. 1:
At midnight, a couple hears a noise coming from outside their house, which is actually the sound of an owl hooting.
Mrs Jones: I wonder what sound that is.
Mr Jones: I am sure the sound is made by an owl.
(a) Owls hoot at night.
(b) Owls will hoot at night.
(c) Owls would hoot at night.
Based on your answer to my question a few days ago ( about my whistling neighbour), (a) here should be correct. But there is be a slight "problem" with (b). In your answer to my "whistling neighbour" question, you said that "will" is used to describe typical behaviour when the speaker finds it a little irritating or excessive. In this case, the owl's hooting does not irritate or annoy Mr and Mrs Jones at all. Despite that, i think the use of "will" in (b) here by Mr Jones is perfectly suitable. Do you agree? In the case of (c), as you have said in my "whistling neighbour" question, "would" is for past habitual actions which are no longer happening. So, (c) here is wrong. The reason I am writing (c) here is to make a comparison with my question no. 2 below.

As you say, answers (a) and (b) are fine here.

'Will' here is a form of prediction, so it describes a habit which is expected or unsurprising. This is often because the person (or, in this case, the animal) in question insists on doing something or will not be deterred from it, so it is something that (a) you can expect and/or (b) you cannot avoid. We often use this to describe irritating or excessive behaviour, as I said before.

Question no. 2:
Mary: Fruits that I placed at the window of my house are sometimes stolen. I wonder who the culprit is.
Jane: The culprit could be that monkey which your next-door neighbour keeps as a pet.
(a) Monkeys steal things, you know.
(b) Monkeys will steal things, you know.
(c) Monkeys would steal things, you know.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think (a) and (b) are correct here. Now comes the interesting part. Please read no.2 (c) here and compare it with no. 1 (c) above. Some people would assume that since no. 1 (c) above is wrong, no. 2 ( c ) here must be wrong also. But i have a good reason to think that using "would" in no. 2 (c) is correct despite the fact that it (the stealing of fruits) is still happening. I will tell you my reason for thinking so if you disagree with me. OK, that's all. Thanks.

All answers are possible here. You can use 'would' in this case because the speaker does not know if the monkey actually has the chance to steal anything. The monkey could be in a cage, for example, making the situation entirely hypothetical.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thanks for giving an answer.

Hello team,

I would be grateful if u could help me with the below.

Early one morning, the wife opens the house door and finds that the family car has been damaged.

Wife: Oh My God! Someone damaged our car last night!

Husband: It must be Jack who did this.

Wife: What makes you think it was Jack.

Husband: We do not have any enemies except Jack.

(a) Only Jack would do this to our car.

(b) Only Jack would have done this to our car.

In this context, is (a) correct or is (b) correct?, or are both correct?

Okay, that is all. Thanks.

Hello Yornis,

Either one can be correct in this context. (a) makes a general statement about Jack. It could (but does not necessarily) suggest that the speaker was expecting this to happen at some time or another.

(b) refers more directly to what happened overnight.

There isn't necessarily a big difference in meaning between one or the other statements in the moment.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Thanks for a reply.

Hello team,

Thanks for a reply.

I have a circle of friends which number 100. One of them is 13-year-old Henry. Henry is currently dating a girl.

Someone says:

(1) Many WILL think Henry is too young to be dating.

Correct me if I am wrong, I am sure the use of "will" here means "assume something is the case".

(2) Many WOULD think Henry is too young to be dating.

(a) The "would" here is to make one's opinion sound less forceful, am I right?

(b) However, do you agree with me if I say "would" in this context

can also be used like "will" in no.1 above, that is "would" here can also be used to mean "assume something is the case"?

Thank you.

Hello Yornis,

I'd say that 'will' is a prediction of expected behaviour. It's possible to use (2) here, but unless there's some other context (e.g. 'If societal norms hadn't changed so much'), I think (1) is more appropriate.

I suppose that in both cases you could say that 'assume something is the case' is effectively the idea, but I think the idea of predicting expected behaviour is a more versatile way of thinking about it that will make sense in a great variety of situations.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Hello team,

Before I continue, I would like to thank you for replying.

Actually it is embarrassing for me to say I do not fully understand

your explanation. However, just a simple "yes" and "no" answers to the below will make me fully understand your explanation above.

(1) You are saying the most likely function of "will" in my "story"

above is to express "prediction of expected behaviour". This, I fully understand.

(2) You also said that the use of "WILL" in my "story" to express "assume something is the case" is also a possible answer, am I right?

(3) Besides "will", using "WOULD" in my "story" to express "assume something is the case" is also a possible answer, am I right?

(4) I apologise if I am wrong, but I think you overlooked part (a) of my question no. 2, that is:

"would" in my "story" above can also be used to make one's opinion sound less forceful. Am I right here?

(5) When you said "It's possible to use (2) here, but unless there's some other context (e.g "If societal norms hadn't changed so much"), I think (1) is more appropriate." When you wrote (2), did you mean (2)(a) or (2)(b)?

Thanks.

Hello Yornis,

OK, sorry about that!

(2) in this particular case, yes, I think you can understand that it means 'assume something is the case', but 'will' doesn't always mean this.

(3) it is possible in some situations, but not always possible.

(4) yes, it could make the statement less forceful. We normally say that it makes the statement about a hypothetical situation, which makes it easier for others to disagree.

(5) I meant '(2) Many WOULD think Henry is too young to be dating.' In other words, I think people would say 'Many will think Henry is too young to be dating' instead of 'Many would think Henry is too young to be dating'. But in a specific hypothetical situation, 'Many would think ...' is possible.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Thank you

Hello teachers,

(1) Hope you can help me with the below. It is from a rerun of an American comedy show originally shown in the 80's.

Councilman Perry's term in office is expiring soon and he will stand for re-election next month. He now tells a friend why he fired his previous assistant recently.

Councilman Perry: He was pocketing the money that he collected for my campaign. He would tell people to make their political contributions to me in cash. WOULD you believe that some people were foolish enough to do it?

What is the function of "would" in the last line above?

(2)The below is from an American detective series:

Detective: Your name "wouldn't" happen to be Liz, would it?

What is the function of "wouldn't/would" here?

Thank you.

'will' and 'would'

Beliefs

Willingness

Promises, offers and requests

Hypotheses and conditionals

Expressions with would

Online courses