When to use would and when to use could

To make things more clear:
Would is just the past tense of will;
could the past tense of can.

I would use 'would' (heheh) when I want to say something that I will do. So, "I would go to the cinema if I didn't have so much work" would mean that if I had less work, then its off to the cinema for me to catch a movie.

If I said instead "I could go to the cinema if I didn't have so much work", then it means that I have other choices, maybe stay at home, or go shopping or whatever. 'W

"Would is just the past tense of will"

I don't beleive that it is proper to say that a modal has a past "tense." Modals can not be inflected for tense.

"Will" and "would" are modals of volition/prediction. "Would" is sometimes a modal that corresponds with "will" but refers to past time...but it is not a past tense form of "will."

"Will" is also used to refer to f

I'm not sure anyone has actually compiled a set of "rules", but note that "could" often means "would be able to", so in a way "could" sometimes contains the meaning of "would" within it. "could" cannot always be paraphrased this way, but it very often can.

I thought I could do it. = I thought I would be able to do it.

CJ

Jim wrote:
I'm not sure anyone has actually compiled a set of "rules", but note that "could" often means "would be able to", so in a way "could" sometimes contains the meaning of "would" within it. "could" cannot always be paraphrased this way, but it very often can.

I thought I could do it. = I thought I would be able to do it.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I respectful

CJ:

. . . "could" often means "would be able to", so in a way "could" sometimes contains the meaning of "would" within it.

Agreed. Not true synonyms of course, as you noted, but close enough. My dialect shares that distribution.

EX: I would (be able to) do it, but. . .
EX: I could do it, but . . .

I respectfully submit that you have misanalysed this, Jim.

does not mean or .

Terry,

Could you, (i.e., Would you be able to), show me where in my post I said either that "would" means "could" or that "would" means "be able to"? Because if you can, then you must not be able to read and understand English very well.

The use of "respectfully" i

Jim:
Terry, could you, (i.e., Would you be able to), show me where in my post I said either that "would" means "could" or that "would" means "be able to"?

JTT: Gladly, Jim, because you've asked so nicely.

Jim:
"... so in a way "could" sometimes contains the meaning of "would" within it.

CJ

Do you seriously not know the difference between "X means Y" and "X sometimes contains the meaning of Y within it"? You are deliberately being obtuse, Terry.

CJ

Jim wrote:
Do you seriously not know the difference between "X means Y" and "X sometimes contains the meaning of Y within it"?

That was the point of my posting, Jim. I believe that this has been misanalysed. I believe that has no connection to , none at all. Normally, because double modals are not allowed in English, when one chooses to use or , with modal