The many uses of ''WOULD''

I would say this restaurant serves the best pizza in town.

• (Opinion expressed indirectly)

• (Refusal in the past)

• (Habitual action in the past)

Would you mind opening the window?

• (Polite response)

• (Refusal in the past)

• (Polite request)

A: Would you like some tea?

B: That would be lovely, thank you.

• (Future in the past)

• (Polite response)

• (Polite request)

The car wouldn’t start this morning, so I had to take the bus.

• (Future in the past)

• (Refusal in the past)

• (Conditional/hypothetical situation)

When we lived by the lake, we would go swimming every day.

• (Habitual action in the past)

• (Opinion expressed indirectly)

• (Polite response)

I would help you if I had more time.

• (Refusal in the past)

• (Future in the past)

• (Conditional/hypothetical situation)

I would think that this solution might work better.

• (Polite request)

• (Opinion expressed indirectly)

• (Future in the past)

She wouldn’t tell me the truth, no matter how many times I asked.

• (Habitual action in the past)

• (Refusal in the past)

• (Conditional/hypothetical situation)