Remember this simple rule for “will” vs “would”

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Today, we’re going to talk about these two verbs: “will” and “would”.

We often see people confuse one with the other in their writing.

But follow these rules, and you should be right most of the time:

1. If you talk about something that always happens in the present, use “will” and if you talk about something that always happened in the past, use “would”.

Example

She will always read a book before going to sleep at night. (present) She would always read a book before going to sleep at night. (past)

As you can see from the above examples, “will” often refers to the present and “would” to the past.

He will often have breakfast at 10AM. (present)
He would often have breakfast at 10AM. (past)

2. However, if the main verb is in the past tense, use “would” and if the main verb is in the present tense, use “will”. This rule applies for events that happen in the past, the present or the future.

Example

If we hired her, she would be perfect for the job.
If we hire her, she will be perfect for the job.

think they will submit their reports on time.
thought they would submit their reports on time.

So I hope this post is helpful! Try reading articles or books and look at how “would” and “will” are used. You will see how this rule works.

We’ll talk to you again soon.

Best regards,

Amnah

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Hi there!

We’re Azimah, Amnah and Aisya from Malaysia. We created My English Matters as a digital platform to help Malaysians and second language learners with their English proficiency.

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