what is the actual meaning of "would" and "could"? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by kionite231@lemmy.ca to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

50 comments fedilink hide all child comments

hii,

I am learning English for around 5 years and I still can't comprehend the meaning of "would" and "count" in some context. are they just past form of "will" and "can"?

"would you like coffee" means a person is asking if you liked coffee in past? "I would do it" means I did it in past?

I really don't understand since my language doesn't have anything like those words.

Edit: Thank you for answering my naive question :)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] Susaga@sh.itjust.works 0 points 6 months ago

I disagree. I clearly equated both phrases, and both phrases can either exist in a longer sentence to establish the subject or as a complete phrase with the subject established in a previous sentence.

Examples: "I would have danced" is functionally the same as "I didn't dance." If someone asks you if you danced, you could answer "I would have" or "I didn't" and the same information is brought across.

[-] Evkob@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 months ago

If someone asks you if you danced, you could answer "I would have" or "I didn't" and the same information is brought across

Hard disagree there. "I would have" implies that dancing was something you desired, but circonstances didn't allow for whatever reason. There's an unsaid "but" in there, whereas "I didn't" simply means you were not involved in the dancing.

"I would have" carries a lot more meaning than a simple "I did not".

[-] morphballganon@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

Ok, now I understand what you meant, but I also disagree, like your other replier. "I would have" contains intent, whereas "I didn't" does not.

Imagine if your roommate asks "did you steal my laptop?" Answering "I didn't" answers the question succinctly, and there is no discussion of intent. Answering "I would have" suggests that there is (or was) some intent to steal.

this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2024

83 points (91.1% liked)

Ask Lemmy

27281 readers

2111 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions

Rules: (interactive)

1) Be nice and; have fun

Doxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them

2) All posts must end with a '?'

This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?

3) No spam

Please do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.

4) NSFW is okay, within reason

Just remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].

5) This is not a support community.

It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.

6) No US Politics.

Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online

Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.