Uses of Would

Using 'would' for past habits, hypotheticals, polite requests, and more

intermediate

When to Use

•Past habits: When I was young, I would play in the park every day.
•Hypothetical situations: If I won the lottery, I would travel the world.
•Polite requests: Would you mind helping me?
•Reported speech: She said she would come later.
•Future in the past: I knew it would rain.

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

Subject + would + base verb

Negative (-)

Subject + would not (wouldn't) + base verb

Question (?)

Would + subject + base verb?

💡 Would never changes form. Always followed by base verb (infinitive without 'to').

Examples

✓My grandfather would tell us stories every night.

✗My grandfather would told us stories every night.

Would is always followed by the base form of the verb.

✓Would you like some coffee?

✗Do you would like some coffee?

Would comes before the subject in questions.

✓If I had more time, I would learn Japanese.

✗If I had more time, I would to learn Japanese.

No 'to' after would—use the base verb directly.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• Past habits: would = used to (but 'used to' also works for states)
• Polite: Would you...? is softer than Will you...?
• Conditionals: would in the result clause, not the if-clause
• Reported speech: will → would when reporting
• Would + have + past participle = past hypothetical

second-conditional third-conditional used-to reported-speech 📝 modals-intermediate 📝 would-uses-quiz

Uses of Would

Using 'would' for past habits, hypotheticals, polite requests, and more

intermediate

When to Use

•Past habits: When I was young, I would play in the park every day.
•Hypothetical situations: If I won the lottery, I would travel the world.
•Polite requests: Would you mind helping me?
•Reported speech: She said she would come later.
•Future in the past: I knew it would rain.

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

Subject + would + base verb

Negative (-)

Subject + would not (wouldn't) + base verb

Question (?)

Would + subject + base verb?

💡 Would never changes form. Always followed by base verb (infinitive without 'to').

Examples

✓My grandfather would tell us stories every night.

✗My grandfather would told us stories every night.

Would is always followed by the base form of the verb.

✓Would you like some coffee?

✗Do you would like some coffee?

Would comes before the subject in questions.

✓If I had more time, I would learn Japanese.

✗If I had more time, I would to learn Japanese.

No 'to' after would—use the base verb directly.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• Past habits: would = used to (but 'used to' also works for states)
• Polite: Would you...? is softer than Will you...?
• Conditionals: would in the result clause, not the if-clause
• Reported speech: will → would when reporting
• Would + have + past participle = past hypothetical

second-conditional third-conditional used-to reported-speech 📝 modals-intermediate 📝 would-uses-quiz

Uses of Would

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

Uses of Would

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗I would went to the beach as a child.

✗Would you to help me?

✗If I would have money, I would buy a car.

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗I would went to the beach as a child.

✗Would you to help me?

✗If I would have money, I would buy a car.

💡 Practice Tips

Related