Could vs Would

Hello there! Building on our previous discussion about modal verbs like ‘can’ and ‘could’, let’s delve into the nuances of ‘will’ and ‘would’, with a special focus on contrasting ‘could’ and ‘would’ for clarity.

As we’ve established, modal verbs are special types of auxiliary verbs that don’t inherently show tense on their own [Previous Conversation, 504, 693]. They are non-tensed auxiliaries [Previous Conversation, 498, 693], meaning they don’t take inflections like ‘-ing’, ‘-es’, or ‘-ed’ [Previous Conversation, 695]. They are used to express various modalities such as likelihood, ability, request, capacity, suggestion, obligation, or advice [Previous Conversation, 481].

Understanding ‘Could’ vs. ‘Would’ 🗣️

The core difference between ‘could’ and ‘would’ lies in their primary function: ‘could’ is predominantly used for possibilities and abilities, while ‘would’ is typically used for imaginary situations and polite offers.

Let’s break down their uses and distinctions:

1. Talking About the Past 🕰️

Both ‘could’ and ‘would’ can be used to refer to past events, although they function differently. It’s important to note that while they refer to the past, the modal auxiliaries themselves are not past forms of ‘can’ or ‘will’; they are independent modal auxiliaries.

• ‘Could’ for past ability: Use ‘could’ to express an ability someone possessed in the past but may not have now.
  • Example: “I could run a few kilometres without any break” (meaning this ability is not present now).
  • Example: “He could beat anyone in swimming in his prime”.
• ‘Would’ for past beliefs or certainties about the future (Reported Speech): ‘Would’ functions as the past form of ‘will’ in reported speech, indicating a past belief or certainty about a future event from that past perspective.
  • Example: “I knew he would pass the exam” (talking about a belief held in the past).
  • Example: “She told me that she would be here at 8 o’clock”.

2. Possible vs. Imaginary Situations 💭

This is a key area of distinction.

• ‘Could’ for Possibility: Use ‘could’ when talking about situations that are possible.
  • Example: “The exam could be very tough”.
  • Example: “My boss is not responding to my emails; he could be busy”.
  • Important: You should not replace ‘could’ with ‘would’ when discussing possibility. Using ‘would’ in such a context (e.g., “the exam would be very tough” for a possibility) would be incorrect.
  • General vs. Specific Possibilities:
    • For general possibilities (statements about what is generally possible in the world), ‘can’ is often used.
      • Example: “You can fall sick if you get drenched in the rain”.
    • For specific possibilities (not general truths), ‘could’ is preferred over ‘can’.
      • Example: “It could be grandpa” (referring to a specific, non-general possibility).
• ‘Would’ for Imaginary Situations: In imaginary situations, it is always better to prefer ‘would’ over ‘could’. ‘Would’ is used much more frequently in these contexts.
  • Example: “If I had a lot of money, I would retire early”. This implies the speaker does not have a lot of money.
  • While “If I had a lot of money, I could retire early” is technically possible, ‘would’ is the preferred choice for truly hypothetical scenarios.
  • ‘Would’ is commonly used in second conditional sentences for impossible things in the present or unlikely things in the future.
    • Structure: If + past simple, would + infinitive.
    • Example: “If I had a magic wand, I would change some historical events”.
  • ‘Would’ is also used in third conditional sentences for things that did not happen in the past and their imaginary results.
    • Structure: If + past perfect, would + past participle.
    • Example: “If I studied harder, I would have passed the exam”.

3. Polite Expressions and Other Uses 🙏

Both ‘could’ and ‘would’ play a significant role in making polite expressions, but their specific uses differ.

• Suggestions: Always use ‘could’ for suggestions.
  • Example: “We could try Thai food this time”.
  • Do not use ‘would’ for suggestions.
• Offers: Always use ‘would’ for offers.
  • Example: “Would you like some coffee, please?”.
  • Do not use ‘could’ for offers.
• Requests: You can use both ‘could’ and ‘would’ for requests.
  • ‘Could’ is generally polite. Example: “Could you please pass it on?”.
  • ‘Would’ is considered very formal and polite. Example: “Would you please come in?”.
  • Fixed Phrase: The phrase “would you mind” is a fixed expression, and ‘would’ cannot be replaced by ‘could’ in this specific construction.
    • Example: “Would you mind opening the window, please?”.
  • In informal requests without “please”, ‘can’ is often appropriate. If “please” is present, ‘could’ is generally preferred for formality.
• Asking for Permission: Primarily use ‘could’ for permission.
  • Example: “Could I borrow your pen for a couple of minutes?”.
  • When using ‘would’ for permission, the structure changes to be more indirect and conditional, often starting with “Would it be okay if…” or “Would you mind if…” with a past tense verb.
    • Example: “Would it be okay if I borrowed your bike for a couple of days?”.
    • For formal permission, ‘may I…?’ is also an option, suggesting a higher degree of politeness or even ‘surrender’ of capability.
• Expressing Liking and Preferences: Use ‘would’ with verbs like ’love’, ‘hate’, ‘prefer’, ’like’, and ‘glad’ to describe certain situations or preferences.
  • Example: “I would be glad to help”.
  • Example: “I would love to go on a trip to Spain”.
• Giving Opinions on Uncertain Things: When expressing an opinion about something uncertain, ‘would’ is preferred over ‘will’.
  • Example: “I would say he is about 40”.
  • Example: “I think it would take about 20 minutes” (when you’re not entirely sure).
• Expressing Refusal (past or strong desire): ‘Would’ can be used to express a past refusal or a strong wish for something to happen.
  • Example (past refusal): “Reva wouldn’t go to the doctor, even though she was in pain”.
  • Example (wish): “I wish she would leave me”.
• Expressing Result/Intention of an Action: Use ‘would’ to express the result or intention of an action, often with phrases like “so that” or “in order”.
  • Example: “He burned all the letters so that his mother would never read them”.
• Past Habits (Action Verbs Only): ‘Would’ can describe repeated actions in the past (past habits), but only with action verbs, not state verbs like ’live’.
  • Example: “When I was young, I would play tennis with my brother”.
  • For state verbs, ‘used to’ is grammatically more accurate.
    • Incorrect: “When I was young, I would live in an old house”.
    • Correct: “When I was young, I used to live in an old house”.

Practice Questions 📝

Choose the most appropriate modal verb (‘could’ or ‘would’) for each sentence.

1. If I had more time, I _______ learn a new language. 🗣️
2. My grandmother _______ knit a scarf in a day when she was younger. 🧶
3. _______ you please help me carry these boxes? They’re heavy. 📦
4. I think it _______ be a good idea to discuss this further. 🤔
5. If you had a super-power, what _______ you do with it? ✨
6. She told me she _______ meet us at the café. ☕
7. The child was very quiet, which meant he _______ be sleeping. 😴
8. I _______ be grateful if you _______ send me the report by tomorrow. 🙏

Solutions ✅

1. If I had more time, I would learn a new language. 🗣️ (Imaginary situation – second conditional).
2. My grandmother could knit a scarf in a day when she was younger. 🧶 (Past ability).
3. Would you please help me carry these boxes? They’re heavy. 📦 (Polite request, could also be ‘Could you please help me…’).
4. I think it would be a good idea to discuss this further. 🤔 (Opinion on an uncertain/hypothetical thing).
5. If you had a super-power, what would you do with it? ✨ (Imaginary situation – second conditional).
6. She told me she would meet us at the café. ☕ (Reported speech – past of ‘will’).
7. The child was very quiet, which meant he would be sleeping. 😴 (Expected past event / conclusion from a past situation).
8. I would be grateful if you could send me the report by tomorrow. 🙏 (‘Would be grateful’ for a preference/liking, ‘could send’ for possibility/polite request).