Will vs Would
The basic difference between will and would is the tenses in which they are used. However, the two words carry other meanings too, in different contexts. The two words, will and would, are often confused due to the appearing similarity in their meanings and usage. However, the word will is used in the case of future tense. On the other hand, the word would is used as the past tense form of the verb will. This is the main difference between the two words. According to the Oxford English dictionary, the word will is even used in phrases such as ‘will do’ that show someone’s willingness to carry out a request or a suggestion. This is, however, an informal phrase which means it is used when speaking.
What does Will mean?
The word will is used in the case of future tense. Observe the two sentences given below.
He will come tomorrow.
She will write to me next week.
In both the sentences, you can see that the verb will represents future tense. In the first sentence and the second sentence, the word will is used to convey the sense that something is going to take place in the future. In both of these sentences, we are using will to say what we believe will happen in the future.
It is important to know that the word will is sometimes used in the sense of ‘certainty’ as in the sentences given below.
He will do it for sure.
She will make it without doubt.
In both the sentences, you can see that the word will is used in the sense of ‘certainty’.
What does Would mean?
While will is used to express what we believe will happen we use would as the past tense of will to speak about what we believed would happen. Look at the two sentences given below.
She would not write to me.
He would be gone.
In both the sentences mentioned above, we are talking about what we believed would happen. Now, have a look at the following sentences.
When we were young we would often play in the barn.
Every Christmas we would make the Christmas dinner together as a family.
In both the sentences, the word would is used in the sense of something that has happened in the past. Here, we are talking about something that we did often in the past because we wanted to do it. In the first sentence, you will get the meaning that ‘when we were young we used to play in the barn’, and in the second sentence, you will get the meaning that ‘every Christmas we used to make the Christmas dinner together as a family’.
It is important to know that the word would is sometimes followed by the auxiliary verb ‘have’ as in the sentences given below.
He would have come today.
She would have won the game.
In both the sentences, you can see that the word would is followed by the auxiliary verb ‘have’.
What is the difference between Will and Would?
• The word will is used in the case of future tense.
• On the other hand, the word would is used as the past tense form of the verb will.
• The word will is sometimes used in the sense of ‘certainty.’
• We use would as the past tense of will to speak about what we believed would happen.
• Would is also used as the past tense of will to talk about something that we did often in the past because we wanted to do it.
• Sometimes would is followed by have.
These are the differences between will and would.