Like most modal verbs in English, the modal pair 'will' and 'would' are very old. They come from the Germanic language family; 'will' is a common verb in the German language, still today.
The verb 'would' is the past tense of 'will', meaning that both of these verbs represent roughly the same concepts. Centuries ago as today, they meant: to wish, to desire, to be about to (do something), and to choose.
However, will vs would differ from other modal pairs in many important ways. You may already know that 'will' is used to build future tense verb phrases - "I will arrive this afternoon.", for example.
Also unlike most other modal verb pairs in English, 'would' may be used to express conditional actions. "I would call him if I had his number.", for example.
Modal verbs 'may' and 'might' share this property. However, 'will' and 'would' are unique in other respects. Today, Superprof outlines those differences before examining:
- how and why 'will' build every future tense construction
- how and why 'would' is used to form conditional statements
- how and when to use this modal pair, with examples
- mistakes to avoid when using 'will' and 'would'
(English for Students of Other Languages) ESOL learners often struggle with modal verbs and their proper usage. That's nothing to worry about. So do native English speakers. This essay means to clear up any confusion you might have.
Understanding Future Tense with 'Will'
Have you ever wondered why 'will' builds future tenses? In this article's introduction, you read this verb's definitions. One of them, in particular, is the reason for 'will' being a part of every future tense construction. The meaning 'To be about to (do something)' gives this verb its expanded function.
By itself, 'will' is the infinitive form of a verb, though it's seldom used that way. The sentence: "He dreams up situations and wills them into being" is an example of such. In these cases, 'will' expresses one - or all three, of its other definitions.
When used in this manner, speakers must conjugate the verb and apply tenses, when necessary. This construction looks like this in the past tense: "He dreamed up situations and willed them into being.". This is how to build such a sentence in the future tense: "He will dream up situations and will them into being."
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Time Clause Conditions
You'll note that only the first verb is in the future tense in that last example. The second 'will' remains in its infinite form.
ESOL learners strive to avoid verb tense mismatches, so they write or speak all of a sentence's verbs in the same tense. This mistake is common in a time clause / conditional clause construction.
"I will come home after I will finish my exam" is incorrect. The future action is 'come home', so it must have the future tense construction. However, 'finish my exam' is an infinitive condition; it requires no conjugation. The correct sentence is: "I will come home after I finish my exam.".
This rule is true for other time clause conditional sentences. "It will be nice to have a cup of tea when I get home"; not "... when I will get home." Even conditional clauses without a time marker are challenging. "We will not ride our bikes if it rains" is often written incorrectly: "... if it will rain.".
Students must make the distinction between time clause conditions and instances of genuine verb tense mismatch. (They must also learn the proper ways to use 'must' and 'have to'!)
"I wanted an apple, so I eat one" is a verb tense mismatch. "I will eat an apple when I feel like it" is a time clause condition; the verbs must not match.
As a modal verb, 'will' is used strictly to talk about the future.
As a modal verb, 'will' is used strictly to talk about the future. You may use it to describe future events: "I will sit my English exam in two weeks". You might also use it with certain time clauses; specifically 'when', 'until', and 'after'. For example: "I will come home after my exams.".
Most native English speakers prefer using the present tense to describe future events with time clauses. The sentence "I shall wait in class until my teacher comes" suggests the teacher's future arrival. No future tense construction is needed. Besides, this sentence would have a different tone if the speaker said: "I will wait in class until my teacher comes.".
Conditional Statements and 'Would'
The modal 'will' has many uses; 'would' has even more. Let's say you've just finished watching a zombie apocalypse film. As you head to the kitchen for a snack, you might think or say: "If that were me, I would act like a zombie so they'd think I'm one of them!".
The modal 'would' describes hypothetical conditions.
The modal 'would' describes hypothetical conditions. As you imagine a situation, 'would' helps you express your actions. Like 'will', it works with infinitive verbs.
You should also use 'would' to build conditional sentences. "I would let you cheat off my exam paper, but I won't be in class that day." As we learned earlier, this construction is not a verb tense mismatch.
On Being Polite
In many cases, you may use either 'will' and 'would' to ask questions or make a request. However, their tones won't be the same. Consider this sentence pair:
"Will you open the window, please?" and "Would you open the window, please?"
The first sample sentence is more forceful; it sounds like an expectation rather than a request. By contrast, the second sentence offers a more modulated tone; it sounds more polite.
We find examples such as these scattered throughout the English language. "Will you come round tomorrow?" sounds like begging. "Would you round by tomorrow?" gives the speaker something to look forward to.
Imagine you're a server in a restaurant. As you take orders, would you rather hear "I will have the fish." or "I would like the fish, please."? Likewise, in a shop: "Will you have that one?" or "Would you like that one?".
The modal 'would' should be (or shall be?) used to express preferences, make requests, and extend invitations. You may also use 'would' to describe the things you imagine happening and things you might do. If you want to give advice, use 'would' rather than 'will'.
Consider this sentence pair: "Your teacher will help if you ask." puts a burden of expectation on the teacher. Furthermore, the speaker doesn't know if the teacher will help. Contrast that with "Your teacher would help if you ask.". Now, the responsibility is on the person needing the help.
You might think these guidelines are nothing more than semantics- that they put too much stress on the meaning and intent of words. In fact, these are important distinctions that help identify context.
We now know that if someone uses 'will' to make a request, they may be frustrated, angry or rude. By contrast, someone who makes requests using 'would' is culturally aware and keen to follow social norms.
Practical Usage Tips for 'Will' and 'Would'
This lesson's biggest takeaway is using 'would' to express conditions and to be polite. Before exploring this modal pair's practical applications, let's summarise all of these points.
| Usage | Will | Would |
|---|---|---|
| Talk about the future | ✓ | |
| Talk about the past | ✓ | |
| Ask for something/make a request | ✓ | ✓✓ |
| To make promises | ✓ | |
| In conditional sentences | ✓ | ✓ |
| To be polite | ✓ | |
| To express a desire | ✓ | |
| To imagine a situation | ✓ |
Shortening 'Will'
ESOL learners work hard to master English pronunciation; they're very careful to speak every word clearly. As an ESOL teacher, I give them credit for that, even while recommending that they make exceptions. One such would be saying 'will' rather than using its contraction.
Native English speakers only say 'will' for emphasis: "I WILL beat you if you touch my stuff!", for example. In normal conversation, 'will' is reduced to ''ll'.
Thus, "I will wait until it stops raining" becomes "I'll wait until (till) it stops raining." "You will love how easy it is to say these sentences" turns into "You'll love how easy it is ...". And "We will go to the park tomorrow" rolls off the tongue as "We'll go ...".
These contractions are perfectly acceptable ways to use modal verbs in English. Unless your teacher is focusing on your pronunciation, you should use them in everyday conversation. You will sound more like a native speaker, that way.
Negating 'Will' and 'Would'
In English, adding 'not' is the standard form of negation. However, this too is typically used to add emphasis: "You will NOT touch my stuff unless you want a beating!". In normal conversation, native speakers typically contract this word.
Applying this contraction to 'would' is easy: it becomes 'wouldn't'. Negating 'will' doesn't follow the same pattern.
The Old English word for 'will not' is 'wonnot'. That explains why 'will' becomes 'won't' when you negate it. Simply remove the 'no' from 'wonnot' and add the ''t', Then, you have this contraction right!
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