Past tense of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. Used to form the "anterior future", or "future in the past", indicating a futurity relative to a past time. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
On my first day at University, I met the woman who would become my wife.
Hi! I thought I'd come over and introduce myself. My name’s Chema.
I'm really flattered you would call your daughter after me.
When we were younger, we would cycle out to the beach most summer Sundays.
I asked her to stay in with me, but she would go out.
Used to form the "anterior future", or "future in the past", indicating a futurity relative to a past time. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
On my first day at University, I met the woman who would become my wife.
Hi! I thought I'd come over and introduce myself. My name’s Chema.
I'm really flattered you would call your daughter after me.
Used to, did repeatedly, habitually; indicates an action that happened several times in the past (cannot describe continuous states, as in I used to live in London)
When we were younger, we would cycle out to the beach most summer Sundays.
Was or were determined to; indicating someone's insistence upon doing something.
I asked her to stay in with me, but she would go out.
Wanted to.
Used with ellipsis of the infinitive verb, or postponement to a relative clause, in various senses.
Wished, desired (something).
A modal verb, the subjunctive of will; usually followed by a bare infinitive. Used as the auxiliary of the simple conditional modality, indicating a state or action that is conditional on another.
If I won the lottery, I would give half the money to charity.
I'd never do anything that went against my conscience.
I would love to come and visit.
Look at that yummy cake! I would eat that all up!
Most other people would do it differently, helping anybody who was in trouble, whether they knew them or not.
I would ask you all to sit down.
I would imagine that they have already left.
I would say/think we would/might do better to catch the earlier flight.
It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I would write and complain.
She looked as if she would be sick.
He's very security-conscious, so he would have remembered to lock the door.
They would be arriving in London round about now.
Sorry, officer, I wouldn't know anything about the crime, since I was nowhere near the scene.
Would you pass the salt, please?
Just reach me down that file, would you.
Used as the auxiliary of the simple conditional modality, indicating a state or action that is conditional on another.
If I won the lottery, I would give half the money to charity.
I'd never do anything that went against my conscience.
Without explicit condition, or with loose or vague implied condition, indicating a hypothetical or imagined state or action.
I would love to come and visit.
Look at that yummy cake! I would eat that all up!
Most other people would do it differently, helping anybody who was in trouble, whether they knew them or not.
Suggesting conditionality or potentiality in order to express a sense of politeness, tentativeness, indirectness, hesitancy, uncertainty, etc.
I would ask you all to sit down.
I would imagine that they have already left.
I would say/think we would/might do better to catch the earlier flight.
Used to express what the speaker would do in another person's situation, as a means of giving a suggestion or recommendation.
It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I would write and complain.
Used to express the speaker's belief or assumption.
She looked as if she would be sick.
He's very security-conscious, so he would have remembered to lock the door.
They would be arriving in London round about now.
Could naturally be expected to (given the situation, the tendencies of someone's character etc.).
Sorry, officer, I wouldn't know anything about the crime, since I was nowhere near the scene.
Used interrogatively to express a polite request; are (you) willing to …?
Would you pass the salt, please?
Just reach me down that file, would you.
Might wish (+ verb in past subjunctive); often used in the first person (with or without that) in the sense of "if only".
Might desire; wish (something).
Noun
Something that would happen, or would be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.
Interjection
Ellipsis of I would, used to denote that the speaker finds another person sexually attractive.