English | German | Russian | Czech
A1

would English

Meaning would meaning

What does would mean?
Definitions in simple English

would

Would is used to show your past plan or decision. He said he would be seeing Mr Moi in Bonn on Monday. Would is used to show that in the past you expected something to happen. It would soon be time to go home, but I didn't want to leave. It looked like it would rain soon. Would is used to show that something happened regularly in the past but not now. Every summer we would go to the lake for a few weeks. When I was in Ottawa, the snow would be so deep you couldn't walk. Would is used to talk about unreal, unlikely, or conditional situations. You wouldn't like it if you had to see it every day. If I could choose I would go to bed at about two o'clock in the morning. I think if he wanted you he would have come to you, don't you? "mathY/math equals math5x/math. If mathx/math equals two, what would mathY/math be?" "mathY/math would be ten." Would is used to ask politely for something. Would you please explain that to me? Would you mind if I had a party while you were away? Would is used to offer something politely. Would you like to go out for lunch then? Would you have some bread? Would is used to give advice. I would go back and talk to him about it. Would is used to show that something is typical, usually when you are unhappy about it. In this case, it's always stressed. He uwould/u come just when we were leaving.

would

(heading) As a past-tense form of will. (obsolete) Wished, desired (something). [9th-19thc.] (archaic) Wanted to ( + bare infinitive). [from 9thc.] Used to; was or were habitually accustomed to ( + bare infinitive); indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly. [from 9thc.] Used with bare infinitive to form the "anterior future", indicating a futurity relative to a past time. [from 9thc.] (archaic) Used with ellipsis of the infinitive verb, or postponement to a relative clause, in various senses. [from 9thc.] Was determined to; loosely, could naturally have been expected to (given the tendencies of someone's character etc.). [from 18thc.] (heading) As a modal verb, the subjunctive of will. Used to give a conditional or potential "softening" to the present; might, might wish. [from 9thc.] Used as the auxiliary of the simple conditional modality (with a bare infinitive); indicating an action or state that is conditional on another. [from 9thc.] (chiefly, archaic) Might wish ( + verb in past subjunctive); often used in the first person (with or without that) in the sense of "if only". [from 13thc.] Used to impart a sense of hesitancy or uncertainty to the present; might be inclined to. Now sometimes colloquially with ironic effect. [from 15thc.] Used interrogatively to express a polite request; are (you) willing to ? [from 15thc.] used to express a polite request

would

Something that would happen, or would be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.

Synonyms would synonyms

What other words have the same or similar meaning as would?

Topics would topics

What do people use would to talk about?
  • desire: the agent of the verb desires or wants to complete the action of the verb.
  • inference from results: the speaker infers the situation described from the evidence at hand (i.e. from the observable results of the causing event/action.)

Examples would examples

How do I use would in a sentence?

Simple sentences

Would you like something to drink?
A Japanese would never do such a thing.
Would you like to dance with me?
I don't know if he would have done it for me.
I would prefer to speak to you in private.
What would you do if you were in my place?
Would you like some fruit?
What would you like to drink?
This is what I would have said.
It would take forever for me to explain everything.
It would take forever to explain everything.
It would be something I'd have to program.
If I could send you a marshmallow, Trang, I would.
If I wanted to scare you, I would tell you what I dreamt about a few weeks ago.
It would take me too much time to explain to you why it's not going to work.
Would you like to drink anything?
It may be that the happiness awaiting us is not at all the sort of happiness we would want.
It would be fun to see how things change over the years.
I would never have guessed that.

Movie subtitles

Why would you do that?
If she lives so great, why would she abondon me?
How, not one but two why would she abandon me!
Would she fit beneath the bed, mom?
What would her parents feel?
Even if you like me that much. All the way from Australia. Why would you come all this way?
But I'm not someone that anyone would like at first sight.
Would that really be true?
Would a love like that.. Exist really?
Would you like to wait a bit? I'll bring Yoon's clothes, wanna wear that?
If I were you, I would not go near.
I thought that it would be a little while longer before I could make my move.
I didn't think there would be anyone below.
I didn't think that a girl would be falling from above either.
I'm sorry! I didn't think there would be anyone below.
I wonder if it would work on me?
I won't do anything that would put us in a disadvantegous situation.
So everything would be okay if I were strong?
That's why. I would at least like a world without war. A place where we won't lose dear ones.
I thought I would have to carry your identity with me to the grave!
I can't believe Euphy would order all those people to be exterminated!
It was expected that he would get a big telescope, but for unknown reasons this did not happen.
Kapteyn would measure the plates, while Gill continued ro collect new ones.
We asked Henk how he would proceed and he said that he would check it With Prof. Rosenfeld.
But if it were true, if that emission really existed, it would be a very powerful tool to study the Galaxy.
Otherwise, I would have never done something so stupid.
Well, then, why would you do that to me?
But I guess it never occurred to me that my best friend would betray me.
That would be great, Nick.
What the hell would he get busted for?
I can't believe Johnny would do that to Nick.
While he was gone, I kept hoping Nick would forgive him and think about what I'd said, but. it seemed like his mind was made up.
Nick doesn't want him anymore. Why would we hire a loser like you?
Why the fuck would you do that?
I sat back and waited for him to get busted, as I knew he would.
Then the kids would turn against Frankie, and I could take over the peanut racket.
But I would love to watch Frankie get served. It would be like, unh!

News and current affairs

The consequences of 1989 ended up being less enduring than many observers, including me, would have assumed.
For a short while, many prominent people - Albert Einstein, for one - believed that only a world government would be able to ensure global peace.
It cannot be the same as the 1945 consensus, but we would do well, on this anniversary, to remember why that consensus was forged in the first place.
I just took it for granted that, by the time I was, say, 40, space travel would be a common thing.
The first option would enable producers everywhere to take advantage of economies of scale.
Even though new standards would apply to suppliers from all exporting countries, compliance costs usually vary, meaning that those less equipped to meet higher standards could suffer.
With mutual recognition, the EU and the US would accept each other's standards or conformity-assessment procedures, allowing firms to adhere to the less stringent requirements in each area.
If the policy were extended to third-country firms, it would have a powerful liberalizing impact.
Second, where they do consider harmonization, they could favor the less stringent of the original standards, unless there is credible evidence that it would not support the relevant regulatory objective.
Because rapid fiscal deterioration now has investors worrying about capital losses on US government securities, devaluation would make foreigners more hesitant to finance America's budget deficit.
That augurs well for a more rational and constructive Sino-American dialogue on global imbalances, which would certainly benefit the global economy.
It is far from clear if he would have prevailed, given his lack of an independent political base, but his international prestige and standing might have given him a chance if he would have chosen to throw the gauntlet.
Yet in all probability he would have been even more deeply disappointed in the inability of the Palestinians to come to terms with the existence of the Jewish state.
First of all, as a kid, I just assumed that I would go to the moon, without having to do much in particular to make it happen.
To acknowledge the truth would have meant admitting that for years they had overlooked the build-up of an unsustainable construction boom that now threatens to bankrupt the entire country.
The parent bank would like to use these funds to reinforce the group's liquidity.
It is and would be wrong to make opposition to terrorism the centerpiece of what responsible governments do in the world.

Are you looking for...?