Would
Can "would" express a habitual action not only in the past but in general? Eg.:
She would spend hours on the telephone. (=She can spend hours talking over phone)
Top answer
olive bee Can "would" express a habitual action not only in the past but in general? No. For that you need 'will'.
- olive bee Can "would" express a habitual action not only in the past but in general?
- No.
- For that you need 'will'.
- She will (She'll) spend hours on the telephone.
- ) CJ
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olive beeCan "would" express a habitual action not only in the past but in general?
No. For that you need 'will'.
She will (She'll) spend hours on the telephone. (= She can spend hours talking on the phone.)
CJ
0No: this is one of the past time uses of "would", called 'propensity'.
It can't be used to express a future time meaning.
However, the present tense form "will" can also be used to express habitual behaviour, as in He will lie in bed all day reading trashy novels.
0As opposed to the present tense, "She spends hours on the phone"?
I believe that in informal conversation we do say this, however. You might have heard it. There is an implied conditional clause that we cut off ("if you let her"/"if we don't stop her").
0
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