Use of the modal 'would'

Question

Hi, Would you check if my use of the modal is correct?

Hi, Sam. Nice to hear from you. I just received your email. As I said to you when we were together yesterday, 1) I would love to go out shopping with you Monday. When shall we meet. Please let me know the place in your next email. Did you contact John? I think he might like to join us in our shopping spree. Last time I talked, 2) he said he would like to go out with some of us to shop if the occasion arose. Can be call him and ask him. Thanks. Please let me know what he says. Bye.

I think no. 1 is an ellipted conditional use of 'would' and the ellipted part could be "as I said yesterday (when I was with you)." Would you say we can use 'elliped' versions freely as context allows and as long as they are correctly used? Would you say this is widely done in writing today?

I think no. 2 is what I think the use of modal in the sense of referencing the future from the past. The present form would be the same, except for this, the time frame is set in the past and referencing the future from the past. I think we can talk about the future from the present-time stand point with the same form.

He would like to go out if he could. -- conditional in present time?
He would go out tomorrow if he had time. -- conditional in future time?
He said he would go out tomorrow if he had time -- conditional in future time from the past?

Right?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

I think you are over-analyzing.
would like with an infinitive is an idiom expressing desire. would love is an emphatic form of would like.
They are both used as if they were present tenses.
I would [like / love] to go with you.
They do not change when reported in the past tense.
I said that I would [like / love] to go with you.
___
There is really no need to appeal to the concepts of ellipsis or conditionals. Idioms are word combinations that break all the rules and make rules of their own!

But if you insist upon seeing the situation that way, the implied if clause is in the infinitive of the idiom, so that you have an implied conditional like this:

I would like/love to go with you =~ If I went with you, I would like/love that.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

He would like to go out if he could. -- conditional in present time?

This is anomalous to my ear. would like to forms an idiom which means something like He wants to go out. Ability (if he could) is irrelevant to desire. The desire to go out is not dependent on the ability to go out.

He would like to go out, but he can't. =~ He wants to go out, but he can't.
It doesn't make sense to say, If he can go out, he wants to go out because he can want to go out whether he is able to or not.
Statements of desire are normally unconditional, i.e., not combined with a condition.
He would go out tomorrow if he had time. -- conditional in future time?
Second Conditional Pattern. tomorrow makes the reference to future time, yes, but, strictly speaking, conditionals do not exist in time. This is a conditional that makes a reference to future time.

He said he would go out tomorrow if he had time -- conditional in future time from the past?
Reported First or Second Conditional Pattern. The act of saying is in the past. The reference is to the future.
This is a backshift of one of these:
He said, "I will go out tomorrow if I have time."
He said, "I would go out tomorrow if I had time."
The exact words that were said are lost when they are reported.
CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you. So, what you are saying is that the phrase "would like" is equivalent to "want"? I think I heard that the phrase "would be able to" is equivalent to "could." Does that mean they could use in place of each other in conditional and other similar situations?

If you have a pen, I would like (want?) to have it please. -- IMO, first conditional
If you had a pen, would I be able (could) to have it? -- IMO, second conditional

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousIf you have a pen, I would like (want?) to have it please. -- IMO, first conditional
If you had a pen, would I be able (could) to have it? -- IMO, second conditional

Not every sentence with if can be classified as first, second, or third conditional. I think your first sentence falls into this category. It's simply not classifiable within that system. Nevertheless, if you had to put it in one of those categories, first conditional is a close approximation.
The second one is a second conditional, as you say.
____
In the if clause, could means were able to. In the main clause, could means would be able to.
If I could reach the top shelf, I could get that book for you.
(If I were able to reach the top shelf, I would be able to get that book for you.)
____
would like is very similar to want, without being exactly the same. The strength of the desire is less with would like, more with want.
If you don't get something that you would like, you are not as disappointed as when you don't get something you want.
When you say I would like to win the prize, you're saying something like Winning the prize would please me / If I won the prize, that would please me.
CJ

Use of the modal 'would'

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions