🕰️ Past of will 🤝 Polite or imagined 🤔 Probable or expected 🔁 Past habit ⏳ Unreal past

would

1.0

To show past form of will for reported speech or future in the past

auxiliary
/wʊd/

: condicional (futuro en el pasado)

He promised that he would help us with the project.

Examples

They knew the meeting would start at 10 a.m. sharp.
She said she would call me when she arrived.
He said he would call later.
She promised she would help.
She said she would call me when she arrived.
He promised that he would help us with the project.
They knew the meeting would start at 10 a.m. sharp.

Idioms

as luck would have it

Informal

7 5.4

Happens by chance in a lucky, helpful way

face that would stop a clock

Offensive

9.9

A face so ugly that it shocks people

Phrasal Verbs

would have

2.3

To show that something could have happened in the past but did not

would not

1.0

To refuse to do something in the past

would not

1.0

To say in the past that something will not happen later

Surface Forms

would infinitive

would third person singular

Etymology

The word would comes from an old English past form wolde, from the verb will, which meant 'want' or 'wish'. So, would is the past form of will and is used when we report what someone wanted or promised in the past about the future.