'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?

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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.

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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.

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Hi teachers,

I hope you could help me with the below.

It is from an episode of an American crime-documentry programme.

In this episode, Jane's daughter was abducted. After a few days, her daughter was rescued. Needless to say, it was a horrifying few days for Jane. At the end of the programme, Jane tells the narrator:

"This event was terrifying. I wouldn't want anybody else to go through this."

What is the function of "wouldn't" above?

Thank you.

Hello Yornis,

Would is very common when talking about desires and preferences. Just as we say I would like... to express a desire, here I wouldn't want... is used to describe something the speaker does not want to happen.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

What about using it with "thought" in the beginning of a topic. Like sometimes I see sentences as: "I thought we would talk about something fun today, so I'm gonna introduce ... to you ...."

Is it used here to politely address the agenda or the plan for some talk?

Hello youssef.fd,

In this sentence 'thought' is a past form, so it is naturally followed by a past form in 'would'. If you change it to think then the 'would' changes to 'will':

I think we will talk about....

As you say, this is a form of social distancing for politeness rather than a chronological past time. The sentence with 'would' is more tentative and polite; it sounds like a proposal rather than an instruction. The sentence with 'will', on the other hand, is more direct and sounds like an instruction.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hi teacher,

I would be grateful if you could help me with the below, which is from an episode of Law and Order : SVU.

Recently a house was burnt down. Dectectives are not sure whether it is an accident or arson. One of the detectives goes to an expert on fire, Mr Smith, to get his opinion.

Detective: Mr Smith, everybody says when it comes to fire, you are the best independent investigator in the business.

Mr Smith: They would be right.

May I know what is the function of "would" here?

My guess is that "would" here is used to make what he says sounds less forceful. Am I right?

Hello Yornis,

I don't think analysing this in terms of grammatical function is particularly helpful, to be honest. It would just treat it as an expression for commenting on situations. There are several such expressions:

They would be right.

That would be correct.

That would make sense.

They would say that, wouldn't they?

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you

Dear Peter, Can the idiosyncratic usages of ‘would’ (hypothetical, imaginary or polite) be connected, or even aligned with the more generic rule on using the past tense (such as ‘I was wondering …’ or ‘I wanted to tell you …’ ) to make a current action (request, offer,etc) more polite? In other words, have all these aspects of ‘would’ actually developed from the use of ‘distancing tenses’ to show politeness? Separately, why could this tense manipulation create a sense of politeness? and why haven’t other words developed the same nuanced uses as ‘would’ has?

Hello shleo,

Certainly the uses of would for politeness and hypothetical meaning are examples of distancing, as you say. I think it is a quite a general phenomenon, however. For example, could has a similar function (contrasted with can), as does should (shall). Past forms used in conditional (hypothetical) sentences are another example.

As to why distancing is a way of showing politeness, obviously it is an expression of culture. Generally, directness shows more familiarity and indirectness (distancing being one way to achieve this) shows less familiarity and more respect and formality. You can see a similar thing in many languages, where some form related to past tense can be used in similar ways, or where a third-person form or plural you pronoun can express social distance.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello teacher,

I would be grateful if you could help me with the below which is from an episode of a rerun of the the TV series T.J Hooker.

Tom, the suspect, is a coach of a tennis club. Policewoman Stacy goes undercover as a new tennis club member to get to know Tom and get evidence that is needed to charge Tom. After tennis lessons, Tom and Stacy sat in the same car to go for a meal. In the car, Tom noticed there were wires on the inside of Stacy's shirt, which indicates that she is trying to record the conversation between her and Tom. An angry Tom pulled out the wires and said: "I would never have have guessed you are a policewoman."

(1) Shouldn't the 3rd last word above be "were" rather than "are"?

(2) The phrase "would never have" is always used to express a hypothetical situation in the past. But the above is not a hypothetical situation because Tom was with Stacy at the tennis club before they got into the car. Why the use of "would never have"?

Thanks.

Hello Yornis,

'Would have' is used here as there is an implied if-clause:

If I had tried / If someone had asked / If I had thought about it (etc)...

'Are' is used because she is still a policewoman. 'Were' is also possible.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you

Hello Yornis,

I think Tom said this sentence with an hidden and implied 'if-clause', which may have following sentence style:

I would never have have guessed you are a policewoman if I haven't seen wires under your shirt.

Do you agree?

Shetu Yogme

Hello Shetu,

Sorry for a late reply. Looks like our teacher has answered the question, although I cannot say for sure the reason you gave is the same as our teacher's explanation. Thanks for showing an interest.

Hello LearnEnglish Team,

I have the following piece of news from a social media post of a prominent English daily:

Denmark’s government on Friday (November 7, 2025) announced a political agreement to ban access to social media for anyone aged under 15.
The move, led by the Ministry of Digitalization, would set the age limit for access to social media but give some parents — after a specific assessment — the right to give consent to let their children access social media from age 13.
📹Reuters

Why 'would' is used above?

I would consider the use of 'would' incorrect here. Because the move to ban access to social media for anyone aged under 15 has already been anounced, I can't see any air of uncertainty, speculation or hypothesis about what impact the move is going to have. That's why the correct modal verb here would be 'will'.

Do you agree? I would like to know how you interpret this.

With many thanks,

Shetu Yogme

Hello Shetu Yogme,

As with many similar examples you've asked about in the past, both will and would are possible here. Will suggests that the ban is sure to be implemented. Would suggests that its implementation is not so certain. Why the author chose to use that particular form is a question for her or him.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Since the match hasn't happened yet, the result is not known. Which should I use "will" or " would" in the following sentence?

Hearts host Celtic on Sunday. Victory will / would put them eight points clear in the Scottish Premiership title race.

Hello kontol abo,

Both will and would are possible here. Will suggests that the outcome (victory) is likely in the speaker's view, while would suggests it is less likely.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

I'm still confused. Does "likely" mean certain to win? And does "less likely" mean to lose in this context? I'm still confused by the point of "will" and "would" here.

Hello again kontol abo,

Likely means you think a Hearts win is probable; less likely means you think they will probably not win. In other words, the choice of will or would is not based on a grammatical rule but rather is an expression of how you see the situation.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello kontal abo,

Since the match has not taken place yet and we can't make a prediction about the result of the match, I would consider the victory as hypothetical for the time being. We can't say before the start of the match whether victory is likely or unlikely. So, where there is this kind of uncertainty, I would prefer the use of 'would' rather than 'will'.

What do you think, kontal abo? Do you agree? Will you let me know? Will any other user let me know?

If the LearnEnglish Team could comment, please?

Shetu Yogme

Hello,

This sentence is from FIC: Playing dirty, Swinson, Kiki:

Years ago, I never thought I would have turned out to be the way I was today.

The whole situation is in the past, but in the distant past (years ago), the character never thought that something would happen in the future (recent past). Why is "would have turned" used here to refer to a future action? What is the difference between "would" and "would've + V3" in this situation?

Thank you

Hello Tony_M,

This is really a question for the author of the sentence! There are many possible ways to construct this sentence and I don't know the author's intention or even the broader context. Really, our role here is to help with our material, not to explain sentences from other sources which may or may not be well constructed.

...would have turned out... is a perfect form, which means that it is retrospective (i.e it looks backward from a particular standpoint). The speaker maybe saying that they never thought that their future self would be looking backwards in surprise at how they turned out: I never thought I would look back at myself and and see myself like this.

As I said, this is a question for the author, however.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you. Got it, no interesting examples, only your material.

Hello Tony,

I think the following sentence makes the best sense:

Years ago, I never thought I would turned out to be the way I am today.

Don't you think so?

Shetu Yogme

Hello LearnEnglish Team,

I have the following sentence from Greek Mythology Icarus:

He (Daedalus) taught his son Icarus how to fly and decided that the best way to escape from the palace was to fly up and over it. However, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, which would cause the wax to melt, or too low, which would cause the feathers to get wet with seawater.

Why is 'would' used in above example?

My second question: Whatever be the use of 'would' above, shouldn't we use 'would have', as we are talking about the past?

Shetu Yogme

Hello teachers,

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

The below is from an episode of an American detective series.

Detective Moore expresses his displeasure at a lawyer entering the police station where he works.

The lawyer explains to the detective:

I am simply here representing the interest of Mr Eiger's estate.( Mr Eiger was murdered last week )

Detective Moore responds by asking:

And those interest would be what?

My question is: What is the function of "would" in the last sentence above?

Thanks.

Hello Yornis,

I think we've answered very similar questions to this in the past, Yornis, so perhaps you can explain it yourself and we'll be happy to comment on your conclusion.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello teacher,

My opinion on why the detective use "would" is that he wants to show that there is a feeling of uncertainty in him. Am I right?

Thank you for responding.

Hello again Yornis,

The alternative is to use the present simple:

And those interests are what?

This form is a statement (question) about a fact. The form with 'would' suggests that the speaker has doubts, as you say. It suggests that speaker (the detective) is asking about the interests according to you...

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello Yornis,

Would you mind if I tried to answer your question once again?

In this case too, the use of 'would' is not a perfect example of a strict grammatical rule, in my opinion. Looking at your last example sentence, I can rewrite it as "And those interests are what?", replacing 'would' with 'are'. We know that we do so when we want to have tentativeness, softness, politeness and indirectness in our tone.

What do you think?

Shetu Yogme

Hello Shetu Yogme,

I thank you for showing an interest in the question that I asked our teacher. If you want to know my opinion, please read my answer to out teacher which I am going to type to our teacher immediately after this. I think there is some similarity to your opinion.

Goodbye

Hello teacher,

I would be grateful if you could help me with my question.

The below question, which obviously is a football commentary, seemed to be asked before by another reader on 22-6-24, but that question is for the use of "would be" before the "a real blow". But my question is for the "would" before "hope":

Oh dear, it looks like Patrick 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 is holding his calf. You would hope it's cramp at this stage of the game.

What is the function of "would" before "hope" in the last sentence above?

Thanks.

Hello Yornis,

It is very tricky to comprehensively understand the exact use of 'would' in your example, given the lack of the context. To be honest, I often have a very hard time to make out why 'would' in some sentences is used even if it does not seem to fit any rule described in any grammar book.

In this context, I think the commentator is decribing hypothetical or imaginary situation. He is expressing the idea that it is reasonable for the listeners to hope that Patrick Schick has only a minor cramp. Listeners don't want Patrick Shick to go off. The commentator thinks that listeners are hoping Patrick Schick to be well and healthy and expects that the injury he is suffering is just a cramp. To soften his tone, to add an element of indirectness and tentativeness, to give his polite assessment and to distance himself from the fact, the commentator chose to use 'would', I guess.

What do you think about what I said, Yornis? Would you let me know?

Shetu Yogme

Hello Shetu,

I am honoured to be asked for my opinion. With due respect, I will have to disagree with you. The imaginary or hypothetical part is Patrick Schick leaving the field. The "hope" part is not hypothetical. That is why I disagree with you.

At first, I was certain the "would" is used before "hope" because it is an assumption. But if memory serves me right, we use "would" in cases where we hope for something. So, here "would" is used either because it is "an assumption" or because it is "a hope" -- I do not know which reason; that was why I asked this British Council website.

Another thing I do not understand is why the commentator said "That is a real shame for the goalscorer" rather than "That would be a real shame for the scorer." This player leaving the field is something hypothetical, so I think he should have used "That would be a real shame for the scorer."

Goodbye.

Hello again Yornis,

You could have a look at the 11th definition of 'would' in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, which says:

'Would' is used to say that an action is typical or expected – usually used to show disapproval:
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?

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

It says 'would' is usually, not always, used to show disapproval in this meaning. I think your example is the one where the commentator does not use 'would' to show disapproval.

Do you agree?

Shetu Yogme

Hello Shetu,

Looks like our teacher has answered the question and we are both wrong.

Goodbye

Thank you, Yornis, for considering my comments worth replying to.

You are also welcome to answer my questions so that I can get your perspective on the doubts I have about some grammar concepts.

Shetu Yogme

Hello Yornis,

We use would hope in this way to express a positive or desired outcome which we are not sure is true.

It's similar to would like (as in 'What would you like?') in that it's really best treated as an expression rather than an example of a grammatical rule, in my opinion.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello LearnEnglish Team,

I have the following example from The Hindu:

What would wider recognition of Palestine mean for Palestinians and Israel?
About 10 countries including Australia, Belgium, Britain and Canada are expected to formally recognise an independent Palestinian state at a summit before the annual leaders' gathering at the U.N. General Assembly.
What would that mean for the Palestinians and Israel?

What is the use of 'would' in above sentence?

The countries mentioned above are in reality going to recognise Palestine as an independent state, so there is no element of hypothetical situation, uncertainty, tentativeness or unlikely future here. So whey do they not use 'will'?

Shetu Yogme

Hello Shetu Yogme,

It's a question of interpretation but I expect the author is referring to possible wider recognition by even more countries, beyond those which have already promised to do this.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello sir,

By "it's a question of interpretation" do you mean the author wants to explain possible consequences, not definite predictions? Would the use of 'will' suggest the consequences to be definite, certain and actual?

Can I use 'would' in the following sentence?:

• What would the economic effects of a new tax be on small businesses?

Context: There are discussions going around about a new tax. The tax has been planned and may be implemented soon, but we don't know when it will be implemented. We don't know what effect it will have on various economic activities, small businesses, big buisnesses and other sectors.

Shetu Yogme

Hello again.

What I mean is that the author has a reason for describing this as they did and I'm not privy to their thoughts. I can speculate about it - maybe they don't consider it certain, or maybe they are referring to wider recognition by other states - but I don't know what they have in mind exactly.

Can I use 'would' in the following sentence?:
• What would the economic effects of a new tax be on small businesses?
Context: There are discussions going around about a new tax. The tax has been planned and may be implemented soon, but we don't know when it will be implemented. We don't know what effect it will have on various economic activities, small businesses, big buisnesses and other sectors.

Yes, you can use would or will here. Will suggests that the tax is likely or certain to be implemented; would suggests more uncertainty.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello again sir,

We, the readers, are not understandably privy to authors' thoughts. In my opinion, we have to apply our understanding and try to make out the idea from the context given.

There appears another sentence:

No matter how many countries recognise Palestinian independence, full U.N. membership would require approval by the Security Council, where Washington has a veto.

Why is 'would' needed here? We know that for any state wanting to have the full UN membership, the approval of the Security Council is required. This is a generally true fact. And, we use 'will' to say what is generally true.

Could you please provide your insights?

Shetu Yogme

Hello again Shetu Yogme,

The answer is the same as before. Will and would are both possible here. Will suggests that the situation is likely or certain; would that it is less likely. Here the speaker/writer does not consider full UN membership likely.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello LearnEnglish Team,

I have the following sentence:

Life, as many would agree, is riddled with opportunities and obstacles.

What is the use of 'would' in this sentence?

I think we shouldn't consider this sentence hypothetical. This sentence decribes something that is generally true. Many agreeing to the fact that life is riddled with opportunities and obstacles is generally true. This is referring to a kind of expectation, isn't this?

Am I right?

Shetu Yogme

Hello Shetu Yogme,

There are several options here. You could use present simple (...agree...), will (...will agree...) or would. As you know, these would express a fact, a strong belief and a less strong expectation respectively. All are grammatically correct; the choice is really up to the author.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you very much, sir.

Yes, I can easily make out what meaning the sentence wants to convey. We could use the present simple to state a fact with a kind of directness. As you have explained multiple time, we can use 'would' to add a tone of tentativeness, distancing, politeness and indirectness. That is what the speaker has chosen to use 'would' for.

Will anyone comment?

Yogesh Thakur

How does "would" work in this sentence?

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