“would” is a modal verb.

Pronunciation: /wʊd/

In this lesson, you will learn the form of would. You will also learn the many different uses and meanings:

• Past habits
• Past refusals
• Future relative to the past
• Indirect speech
• Polite offers and requests
• Conditionals
• Past unreal situations

Form

Affirmative form

Full form	Contracted form
I would like	I’d like
you would like	you’d like
he would like	he’d like
she would like	she’d like
it would like	it’d like
we would like	we’d like
you would like	you’d like
they would like	they’d like

Negative form

Full form	Contracted form
I would not like	I wouldn’t like
you would not like	you wouldn’t like
he would not like	he wouldn’t like
she would not like	she wouldn’t like
it would not like	it wouldn’t like
we would not like	we wouldn’t like
you would not like	you wouldn’t like
they would not like	they wouldn’t like

Question form

Full form
Would I like …. ?
Would you like …. ?
Would he like …. ?
Would she like …. ?
Would it like …. ?
Would we like …. ?
Would you like …. ?
Would they like …. ?

Uses and meaning of “would”

Past habits

We use “would” to describe a regular activity or habit in the past.  This use of “would” is very similar to “used to“.

Examples:
When Jane was at university, she would study for 3 hours every evening.

When my grandma came to visit, we would play cards every day.

Past refusals

We use would to describe a refusal from the past. (A “refusal” is the act of not wanting to do something or the act of not agreeing to do something.) This use is usually in the negative form.

Examples:
Jane was angry. She wouldn’t speak to me!

Sarah: Why are you late?
Mark: My car wouldn’t start.

Future relative to the past

We use “would” to describe an action that is in the FUTURE relative to an earlier action from the past. The action in question is therefore in the past but it is in the future relative to an earlier action. “would” is therefore a past form of “will”

To explain this, let’s first look at a normal future. Normally, the future tense is relative to the present and we use “will”:

Mark: I think that I will pass the exam.

“I think” is in the present and “I will pass” is in the future relative to the present. We use “will” (future simple)

Now let’s pretend that several days have passed. Let’s look back in time at the same situation. We say:

Mark: Last week, I thought that I would pass the exam.

“I thought” is in the past and “I would pass” is in the future relative to that past. We use “would”.

More examples:

I know that I will see you again. (with will)
I knew that I would see you again. (with would)

He’s sure that I’ll like his house. (with will in the contracted form.)
He was sure that I’d like his house. (with would in the contracted form.)

Indirect speech (Reported speech)

When we use indirect speech, we use “would” after past reporting verbs where “will” was used in direct speech.

Direct speech is when we quote the exact words said by the person and we write those words inside quotation marks. The words are therefore from the perspective of the speaker. Indirect speech (reported speech) is when we report what the person said without necessarily using the exact words used by the person. It’s from our perspective.

When the reporting verb (“say”, “reply”, “shout” etc) is in the PAST form, we transform the word “will” from the direct speech into “would” in the indirect speech version.  This is a similar application of the “future” relative to the past” use described above.

Examples:

Direct speech:
Mark said, “I will go to London.”
Indirect speech:
Mark said that he would go to London.

Direct speech:
Jane said, “I will help you.”
Indirect speech:
Jane said that she would help me.

Polite offers and requests

We use “would” to make polite offers and requests.

Would you like a glass of orange juice?
Would you help me carry my bags?
Would you close the door please?

Notice that these are in the question form.

Conditionals

We use would in conditionals to describe unreal situations.

Second conditionals

The second conditional describes an unreal situation in the present.
Example:
If I had a car, I would drive to Paris.

Third conditionals

The second conditional describes an unreal situation in the past.
Example:
If I had known her, I would have introduced you to her.

Video lessons explaining conditionals

I have several video lessons on my YouTube channel that explain conditionals. Here are the links:

Introduction to conditionals (video)
Zero conditionals (video)
First conditionals (video)
Second conditionals (video)
Third conditionals (video)

Unreal situations in the past

We use “would” to describe unreal situations in the past that are not necessarily conditionals.

Form:
“would” + “have” + past participle
Note that “have” + past participle is called a perfect infinitive.

Examples:
would have lived
Jane: Why did you live in Manchester?
Mark: Well I would have lived in London but it was too expensive.

(This is an unreal situation because Mark did not in fact live in London. In the above sentence he is explaining why.)

would have studied
I would have studied law but I chose medicine instead.

Other lessons

Modal verb COULD – Form, use and meaning
3 ways to use the word BUSY
Present perfect verb tense in English
Future simple tense – will and shall
How to express change in English
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