Would

Question

Could you tell me the meaning, especially 'would'?"He would take a vacation next week"Thanks

Fivejedjon · Accepted Answer

That makes  no sense as a stand-alone sentence.

SoSaysSunny · Answer

The usage of would is actually a pretty advanced topic: It is the Subjunctive Mood of the verb will.

NOTE: Many native speakers make mistakes with the Subjunctive or can't explain why they picked the right word.

I'm not going to get into all the details (the experts around here can do that) but I'll give you a simple lesson.

When I read He would take a vacation next week, my first thought is: But? If? Why is his vacation uncertain?

That's because would indicates doubt or uncertainty. The full sentence would be something like:

He would take a vacation next week but there's a mandatory meeting on Wednesday.
He would take a vacation next week if he had any vacation time left.
He would take a vacation next week except he'd lose his job.

An example of Subjunctive Mood that you probably already know:

I am in charge so we will have a party. (a confident statement)
If I were in charge we would have a party. (an imaginary or doubtful statement)

The if triggers an uncertainty (Subjunctive Mood) ... so I am turns into I were ... and we will turns into we would.

There are similar issues with can/could, shall/should, and may/might.

Would

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