would
(wo͝od) aux.v. Past tense of will2 1. Used to express desire or intent: She said she would meet us at the corner.
2. Used to express a wish. This sense is archaic ("I would you were so honest a man!"—William Shakespeare) except in contexts with an implicit first person singular subject and followed by a clause beginning with that: Would that it stop snowing!
3. Used after a statement of desire, request, or advice: I wish you would stay.
4. Used to make a polite request: Would you go with me?
5. Used in the main clause of a conditional statement to express a possibility or likelihood:
If I had enough money, I would buy a car. We would have gone to the beach, had the weather been good. See Usage Note at
if. 6. Used to express presumption or expectation: That would be Steve at the door.
7. Used to indicate uncertainty: He would seem to be getting better.
8. Used to express repeated or habitual action in the past: Every morning we would walk in the garden.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
would
(wʊd; unstressed wəd) vb1. used as an auxiliary to form the past tense or subjunctive mood of
will1 2. (with: you, he, she, it, they, or a noun as subject) used as an auxiliary to indicate willingness or desire in a polite manner: would you help me, please?.
3. used as an auxiliary to describe a past action as being accustomed or habitual: every day we would go for walks.
4. I wish: would that he were here.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
would
(wʊd; unstressed wəd)
v. 2. (used to express the future in past sentences): He said he would go tomorrow.
3. (used in place of will, to make a statement or form a question less direct or blunt): That would scarcely be fair. Would you be so kind?
4. (used to express repeated or habitual action in the past): We would visit Grandma every morning up at the farm.
5. (used to express an intention or inclination): Nutritionists would have us all eat whole grains.
6. (used to express a wish): Would that she were here!
7. (used to express an uncertainty): It would appear that he is guilty.
8. (used in conditional sentences to express choice or possibility): They would come if they had the fare. If the temperature were higher, the water would evaporate.
9. (used with the present perfect to express unfulfilled intention or preference): I would have saved you some but the children took it all.
Idioms: would like, (used to express desire): I would like to go next year.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
would
1. form and pronunciationWould is a modal. It is used in a number of different ways.
When would comes after a pronoun, it is not usually pronounced in full. When you write down what someone says, you usually represent 'would' as 'd and add it to the end of the pronoun. For example, instead of writing 'I would like that', you write 'I'd like that'.
Would has the negative form would not. The not is not usually pronounced in full. When you write down what someone says, you usually write wouldn't. For example, instead of writing 'He would not do that', you write 'He wouldn't do that'.
2. talking about the pastYou can use would to talk about something that happened regularly in the past but no longer happens.
We would normally spend the winter in Miami.
She would often hear him singing.
Used to has a similar meaning.
She used to visit them every Sunday.
In the afternoons, I used to read.
However, used to can also be used to talk about states and situations that existed in the past but no longer exist. You cannot use 'would' like this. You can say, for example, 'She used to work there'. Don't say 'She would work there'
I used to be quite overweight.
You use would have to talk about actions and events that were possible in the past, although they did not in fact happen.
It would have been unfair if we had won.
I would have said yes, but Julia persuaded me to stay at home.
When would not is used to talk about something that happened in the past, it means that someone refused to do something.
They just would not believe what we told them.
I asked him to come with me, but he wouldn't.
Would is sometimes used in stories to talk about someone's thoughts about the future.
He thought to himself how wonderful it would taste.
Would he ever be successful?
3. used in conditional sentencesYou use would in a conditional sentence when you are talking about a situation that you know does not exist. Use would in the main clause. In the conditional clause, use the past simple, the past progressive, or could.
If I had enough money, I would buy the car.
If he was coming, he would call.
I would work if I could.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'would' in the conditional clause in sentences like these. Don't say, for example, 'If I would have enough money, I would buy the car'.
When you are talking about the past, you use would have in a conditional sentence to mention an event that might have happened but did not happen. In this kind of sentence, you use the past perfect in the conditional clause and would have in the main clause.
If he had realized, he would have told someone.
If she had not been wearing her seat belt, she would have been killed.
4. used in reported clausesWould is also used in reported clauses.
He asked if I would answer some questions.
I felt confident that everything would be all right.
5. requests, orders, and instructionsYou can use would to make a request.
Would you do something for me?
Would someone carry this?
You can also use would to give an order or instruction.
Pour me a cup of coffee, would you?
Would you sit down, please?
6. offers and invitationsYou can say 'Would you...?' when you are offering something to someone, or making an invitation.
Would you like a drink?
Would anyone care for some ice cream?
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012