Consider this dialogue, please:
Person A: Is it petrol or gas in "How much does (petrol/gas) cost?"
Person B: People in the US say "gas" or "gasoline" instead of petrol, but they will (would) know what you are (were) saying either way.
I think people either know or don't know something. What does "will/would know" mean? Does it mean they will/would come to know in a hypothetical situation? If so, I think the verb "know" here should imply something like "to recognize/identify something", rather than the general meaning: "to have information in someone's mind". Am I right?
Rizan Malik Does it mean they will/would come to know in a hypothetical situation? Not come to know, no -- that implies a process of learning, or gaining knowledge. "they will/would know" means that they will/would understand the word, when/if it is said to them, because of their pre-existing or prevailing knowledge.
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Rizan MalikDoes it mean they will/would come to know in a hypothetical situation?
Not come to know, no -- that implies a process of learning, or gaining knowledge. "they will/would know" means that they will/would understand the word, when/if it is said to them, because of their pre-existing or prevailing knowledge.