'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:
holidays at their grandmother's at
the seaside.hey'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?