would

== English == === Alternative forms === wou'd (obsolete) === Etymology === From Old English wolde, past tense of willan, predecessor of will. The loss of /l/ in this word is probably due to weak stress, as in should and could (though in the latter, the /l/ was due to the analogy of the former two). === Pronunciation === (weak form) IPA(key): /wəd/, /əd/ IPA(key): (Early Modern, weak form) /(w)ʊ(l)d/ (Received Pronunciation, General American, Australia, strong form) IPA(key): /wʊd/ (Standard Southern British, strong form) IPA(key): /wɵd/ (Scotland, Northern Ireland, strong form) IPA(key): /wʉd/ IPA(key): (Early Modern, strong form) /wuːld/ Homophone: wood Rhymes: -ʊd === Verb === would (auxiliary) 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. [from 9th c.] 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) [from 9th c.] 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. [from 18th c.] (archaic) Wanted to. [from 9th c.] 1852, James Murdock, trans. Johann Lorenz Mosheim, Institutes of Ecclesiastical History, II.7.iii: The Greeks, especially those who would be thought adepts in mystic theology, ran after fantastic allegories […]. (archaic) Used with ellipsis of the infinitive verb, or postponement to a relative clause, in various senses. [from 9th c.] (obsolete) Wished, desired (something). [9th–19th c.] 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. [from 9th c.] Without explicit condition, or with loose or vague implied condition, indicating a hypothetical or imagined state or action. Suggesting conditionality or potentiality in order to express a sense of politeness, tentativeness, indirectness, hesitancy, uncertainty, etc. [from 9th c.] 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. Could naturally be expected to (given the situation, the tendencies of someone's character etc.). [from 18th c.] Used interrogatively to express a polite request; are (you) willing to …? [from 15th c.] (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 13th c.] 1912, Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana, translated by F. C. Conybeare (Loeb Classical Library), 8.16: But as the youth increased their annoyance by declaring that the goddess was quite right, because the Emperor was Archon Eponym of the city of Athens, he said: "Would that he also presided the Panathenaic festival." (chiefly archaic, transitive or control verb) Might desire; wish (something). [from 15th c.] ==== Usage notes ==== As an auxiliary verb, would is followed by the bare infinitive (without to): John said he would have fish for dinner. Would is frequently contracted to 'd, especially after a pronoun (as in I'd, you'd, and so on). The term would-be retains the senses of both desire and potentiality (those of wannabe and might-be, respectively). Indicating a wish, would takes a clause in the past subjunctive (irrealis) mood; this clause may or may not be introduced with that. Most commonly in modern usage, it is followed by the adverb rather, as in I would rather that he go now. A call to a deity or other higher power is sometimes interposed after would and before the subjunctive clause, as in Would to God that […] ; see the citations page for examples. When used, mainly archaically, in the sense of "if only", the first-person subject pronoun is often omitted. For past habits, as a synonym of used to, would cannot be used with stative verbs. ==== Synonyms ==== (indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly): used to (used to express a polite request): be so good as to, kindly, please ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== will - present tense of would wouldn't - negative of would wouldst - archaic second person singular form of would would like would've ==== Translations ==== Note: many languages express some meanings of would using a mood or tense rather than by a particular word. === Noun === would (plural woulds) Something that would happen, or would be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality. === Interjection === would (slang, idiomatic) Ellipsis of I would, used to denote that the speaker finds another person sexually attractive. === See also === could should Appendix:English modal verbs Appendix:English tag questions Modal verbs on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === References ===