would
would
UK[wʊd]US[wʊd]
modal
Used as the past tense of 'will' to talk about the future from a point in the past.
modal
Used to talk about what someone was willing to do or what something was able to do.
modal
Used to talk about things that happened regularly in the past.
modal
Used in conditional sentences to talk about an imagined situation.
modal
Used to make a polite request, offer, or invitation.
Etymology
The word 'would' is a modal verb with a complex history as a grammaticalized form. It originates from the Old English word 'wolde', which was the past tense of 'willan', meaning "to wish, desire, be willing." This Old English verb itself stems from the Proto-Germanic weljaną, a root conveying the concept of wishing or choosing. Over centuries, 'would' evolved from a simple past tense indicator into a versatile modal verb, shedding its original sense of volition to acquire a range of functions including expressing habitual past actions, conditional moods, and politeness. Its journey reflects a common linguistic process where a content word with a specific meaning gradually becomes a function word governing grammatical relationships and speaker attitude.
Analysis
N/A
Examples
She said she would call me later.
When I was young, I would visit my grandmother every Sunday.
Would you like some tea?