Let’s learn about WOULD together.
It’s important that you know:
- ‘would’ doesn’t have a simple definition.
- You need to learn when to use would.
- You need to learn the situations.
Here are 6 easy steps to follow:
- the grammar basics (with pronunciation)
- would like / would you mind
- hypothetical situations in the present/future
(+giving advice) - hypothetical situations in the past
- giving a polite excuse
- past habits
If you are a more visual learner, watch the video!
1.The grammar basics
WOULD is pronounced the same as WOOD. The ‘L’ in WOULD is silent.
‘Would’ is a modal verb. Other modal verbs include: will, can, could, may, might, must, should, shall.
Modal verbs have their own specific set of rules:
1.Modal verbs do not change their form.
We can NOT say: He/She/It woulds.
We also can NOT say: I am woulding…. Yesterday I woulded…
2.You need to use a modal verb + to + infinitive
Kim would to go to the beach every Saturday.
☑ Kim would go to the beach every Saturday.
3.The negative form of WOULD is WOULD NOT:
Kim don’t would go to the beach every Saturday
☑Kim would not go to the beach every Saturday.
Do you want to sound more natural when speaking? Contract!
I’d = I would
You’d = You would
He’d = He would
She’d = She would
It’d = It would
We’d = We would
They’d = They would
(Contractions are used in informal speech and writing.)
2.would like / would you mind
These are two very typical phrases with ‘would’.
You need to memorise each of these as one piece of vocabulary.
‘Would like’ is a polite way to say = I want
- I would like to see a movie tonight.
I want to see a movie tonight. - I would like to own a sailboat.
I want to own a sailboat. - My flatmate would like to paint our kitchen green.
My flatmate wants to paint our kitchen green. - My parents would like to meet you.
My parents want to meet you.
Common confusion.
☑I like drinking tea with honey.
I would like drinking tea with honey.
You can say: ‘like’ + verb ‘ing’ OR ‘like’ + to + infinitive
I like drinking tea with honey. / I like to drink tea with honey.
You cannot say: ‘would like’ + verb ‘ing’
I would like drinking tea with honey.
You can say: ‘would like’ + to + infinitive
I would like to drink tea with honey.
Would you like to drink a tea or a coffee?
Do you want to drink a tea or a coffee?
Would you like to go out tonight?
Do you want to go out tonight?
- Would you mind + verb ‘ing’
- ‘Would you mind + ing’ = Can you please…
Would you mind closing the window?
Can you please close the window?
Would you mind taking out the trash tonight?
Can you please take out the trash tonight?
Would you mind turning down your music?
Can you please turn down your music?
3.WOULD + INFINITIVE
used to speak about hypothetical situations in the present and future
(also known as: the 2nd conditional)
If I had a lot of money, I would go on holiday.
(Here, this is a hypothetical situation.)
Do I have a lot of money in reality? No
Can I go on holiday now? No.
If I lived in Japan, I would eat sushi every day.
(Here, this is a hypothetical situation.)
Do I live in Japan now? No.
Can I eat sushi every day? No.
If I didn’t have a car, I would ride my bike to work.
(Here, this is a hypothetical situation.)
Do I not have a car? No, I do have a car.
Do I need to cycle to work? No, I don’t.
If I were you, I would ….
(This is a very typical phrase we use to give advice.)
What is advice?
Definition: It’s something we say to help someone.
A: My neck has been killing me lately.
B: If I were you, I would see a doctor.
A: My landlord wants to increase my rent. I don’t know what to do.
B: If I were you, I would find a different flat. Your flat is already so expensive.
A: My ex-boyfriend invited me to his wedding.
B: If I were you, I wouldn’t go.
WOULD HAVE + past participle
used to speak about hypothetical situations in the past
(also known as the 3rd conditional)
If I had studied more when I was younger, I would have been a doctor.
This is a past hypothetical situation.
Did I study a lot when I was younger? No
Did I become a doctor? No.
If I had left the house two minutes earlier, I wouldn’t have missed my train.
This is a past hypothetical situation.
Did I leave my house on time? No
Did I manage to catch my train? No
If I had known you were coming, I would have prepared dinner.
This is a past hypothetical situation.
Did I know you were coming? No.
Did I prepare dinner? No.
5.WOULD (love to), BUT…
used to give a polite excuse
Ryan: Are you coming to my party tomorrow?
Michelle: I would (love to), but I’m going to London tomorrow.
Why can’t I go to the party? Because I’m going to London.
(This is an excuse.)
Ara: I need someone to drive me to the airport tomorrow. Are you free?
Bjorn: I would (love to), but unfortunately I’m working.
Why can’t I drive you to the airport? Because I am working.
(This is an excuse.)
Jim: Hey do you want to have dinner at my house tonight?
Anna: Oh, I would (love to), but … I’m going to the dentist tonight.
Jim: You’re going to the dentist at night? Okay, how about dinner with me tomorrow night?
Anna: Hm…. I would (love to), but….I have to help my parents with their new house.
(Here, Anna has two different excuses.)
6.WOULD + infinitive
Used to speak about past habits.
When I was a teenager, I would wake up really late.
(This was normal for me in the past.)
My mum would make me lunch to take to school every day.
(This was normal for me in the past.)
In the past, English people would drink more tea than they do now.
(This was normal in the past.)
You cannot use ‘would + infinitive’ to speak about the past with STATIVE VERBS.
Examples of stative verbs: love, hate, believe, remember,
You can download a list of ‘stative verbs’ from my FREE LIBRARY!
(for subscribers only)
Another common way we speak about the past is: used to + infinitive
My mum used to make me lunch to take to school every day.
(This was normal for me in the past.)
Thank you very much for reading!
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See you next time! Arnel 🙂
