Will and Would

Question

What is the main difference between will and would?? For example:What will/would he get after doing all this???If he thinks he will/would succeed, he better think again.

Yankee · Accepted Answer

Hi Hamza

The difference is basically the same sort of difference as the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 conditional sentences: Type 1 is more probable, and Type 2 is more tentative or theoretical.

What will he get...

> You are asking what is very probable
What would he get...

> This question asks tentatively or theoretically about what might be possible

Hamza · Answer

No, i did not get it.. I wonder what u mean by tentative and probable manner..

Yankee · Answer

HamzaNo, I did not get it.. I wonder what you mean by tentative and probable manner..

I didn't mention the word "manner".

The word will indicates a higher degree of certainty than the word would.

CalifJim · Answer

What is the main difference between will and would?

The main difference is that will is the future of the present, and would is the future of the past. So will is used with present situations, and would is used with past situations.

I think I will go to class early today.
I thought I would go to class early that day.

I know that you will help us.
I knew that you would help us.

He says that he will not be able to attend the concert tomorrow.
He said that he would not be able to attend the concert the next day.
______

The distinction between present and past is also used when will or would indicates habitual, usual, characteristic, or repeated actions.

She will work for hours without resting. [now, usually: This is the kind of person she is.]
She would work for hours without resting. [then, at that time, usually: That was the kind of person she was.]
______

Of course there are many other secondary uses of these words. The most important of these is the use of would to indicate remote possibilities in hypothetical (imagined) situations. will is not used in these cases, even though they are imagined in present time and do not actually occur in reality.

What would you do if you won a million dollars?
-- I would take a trip around the world.
-- I would buy a big castle.
-- I would share it with my friends.

The past of these is formed with would have. These are situations that are imagined to have occurred in the past, although they did not occur at all.

What would you have done if you had won a million dollars?
-- I would have taken a trip around the world.
-- I would have bought a big castle.
-- I would have shared it with my friends.

CJ

Hamza · Answer

Thanx Califjim!. I got this one completely.. Your explaination made it pretty easy for me to conceive.

Pleasehelp · Answer

Can would also be a more polite and courteous way of saying will?

For example:

It'd be nice to have dinner with you. Compared to:

It'll be nice to have dinner with you.

Also

I will very much like to have a foot massage. Or

I would very much like to have a foot massage.

Yankee · Answer

Yes, the word "would" can be used to make something more polite, but you have not chosen good sentences to illustrate this.

pleasehelpIt'd be nice to have dinner with you. Compared to:

It'll be nice to have dinner with you.

The difference between these two sentences is basically the degree of certainty.

In the first sentence, the speaker is not very sure about having dinner with you. Maybe it will happen, maybe not. This sentence could possibly be used to suggest having dinner together (i.e. no dinner date has been planned yet).

In the second sentence, the speaker feels sure that "dinner with you" is going to take place. Most likely a dinner date has already been arranged, and both people are already looking forward to it. The speaker is simply saying something nice about the upcoming get-together.

pleasehelpI will very much like to have a foot massage. Or

I would very much like to have a foot massage.

Your first sentence suggests that a foot massage has been arranged and the speaker is simply stating that he/she is looking forward to it.

In your second sentence, a foot massage is not certain. The sentence could be used to politely suggest that someone should give the speaker a foot massage. Or the speaker might simply be commenting very generally that a foot massage might theoretically help ease the pain of his/her aching feet.

Will and Would

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> You are asking what is very probable
What would he get...

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Will and Would

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

> You are asking what is very probableWhat would he get...

Related Questions

> You are asking what is very probable
What would he get...