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When and How to Use Would, Should, and Could in English

Learning & Grammer

A Guide to Using Could, Should, Would: Exercises and Explanation | Modal verbs are one of the most important elements of any language, especially English: in fact, they are widely used in everyday speech and serve to express possibility, necessity, intention, and even obligation.

Would, should, and could are three essential verbs to know, but what do they mean? When should, could, and would be used? In which cases?

In this Sprachcaffe lesson, you'll discover everything you need to know to sound more like a native!

What are Would, Should, Could?

Would, should, and could are modal verbs in English: but what do they mean?

Modal verbs are a category of auxiliary verbs that do not conjugate depending on the subject and are used to express different modalities such as possibility, obligation, ability, or conditions.

In practice, they are essential for adding a nuance of meaning to the main verb.

In the Italian language, we also have modal verbs, and we can say that they are the same: should, would, and could correspond to our dovere, volere, and potere.

When to Use Could, Would, and Should: Rules and Differences

The modal verbs could, would, and should have specific uses and can express different shades of meaning.

The main differences are as follows:

  • Could often indicates possibility and ability, both in the present and past, and is used for polite requests and permissions;
  • Would is mainly used to express conditionality, past habits, and future intentions in the past, as well as being used for polite requests;
  • Should is used to give advice, express moral obligations, or expectations.

But, to better understand both the difference between one and the other, and the specific use of each, let's take a closer look at each of these verbs and their uses.

Would - When to use

The modal verb would has several uses in English, including expressing conditionality, past habits, future intentions in the past, and polite requests .

Let's look briefly at each case:

  1. Conditionality : would is often used in type 2 and type 3 conditional sentences to express hypothetical or unreal situations. -Type 2
    conditional ( hypothetical situations in the present or future): "If I had a car, I would drive to work." → If I had a car, I would drive to work. -Type 3
    conditional (unreal situations in the past): "If I had known about the meeting, I would have attended." → If I had known about the meeting, I would have attended.
  2. Future intention in the past: It is used to talk about future actions or events that were foreseen or planned in the past: "She said she would call me later" → She said she would call me later.
  3. Past habits : Can be used to describe habits or actions repeated in the past, similar to "used to." : "When we were children, we would play outside every day." → When we were children, we played outside every day.
  4. Polite requests: It is used to make requests or offer something in a very polite and formal way: "Would you mind closing the window?" → Would you mind closing the window?
  5. Preferences and wishes: It can be used to express preferences or wishes: "I would prefer to stay home tonight." → I would prefer to stay home tonight.

Should - When to use

The modal verb should has various uses in English, mainly related to advice, obligations, expectations, and probabilities.

  1. Advice or recommendation : should is commonly used to give advice or make recommendations: "You should see a doctor."
  2. Moral obligation or duty : Can be used to express what is considered right or appropriate to do, suggesting a moral obligation: "You should apologize for being late." → You should apologize for being late.
  3. Expectation or probability : This is used to express something that is expected to happen or is likely to happen: "He should be home by now." → He should be home by now.
  4. Indirect suggestions and advice : Can be used to make suggestions in a more indirect and polite way: "I think you should talk to him about it." → I think you should talk to him about it.
  5. Probability in the present or future : should can also express a hypothesis or supposition about something that is likely to happen: "This plan should work." → This plan should work.

Could - When to use

Finally, the modal verb could also has several uses in English, including expressing possibility, ability in the past, polite requests, and permission.

  1. Possibility : could is often used to express that something is possible, but not certain, in the present or future: "It could rain later." → It could rain later.
  2. Past ability : This is used to talk about skills or abilities someone had in the past. "When I was younger, I could run fast." → When I was younger, I could/knew how to run fast.
  3. Polite requests: It is used to make requests in a polite and formal way: "Could you please pass the salt?" → Could you pass me the salt, please?
  4. Permesso : could can be used to ask permission politely: "Could I leave early today?" → Could I leave early today?
  5. Conditionality and hypothetical situations : It is also used to express hypothetical or conditional situations, especially when talking about something that is possible under certain conditions: "If I had more time, I could learn another language." → If I had more time, I could learn another language.

Examples with Would, Should, Could

Here are some detailed examples using "would," "should," and "could" to help you better understand the various uses of these modal verbs:

Would:

  • I would travel more if I had more money.
  • If it rained, I would stay inside. → If it rained, I would stay inside.
  • He said he would help me tomorrow.
  • When we were kids, we would visit our grandparents every summer.
  • Would you like a cup of tea?

Should:

  • You should eat more vegetables.
  • You should try that new restaurant.
  • Students should submit their assignments on time.

Could:

  • It could rain later. → It could rain later.
  • She could swim when she was only three years old.
  • Could you help me with this problem? → Could you help me with this problem?
  • Could we leave a bit earlier today?
  • We could go on vacation if we saved enough money.

Could, Should, Would: Exercises to memorize them

nd now, test yourself with an exercise to learn when to use would, should, and could correctly!

Complete the following sentences with the appropriate verb:

  1. You _____ drink more water to stay hydrated.
  2. If I had a car, I _____ drive to the beach every weekend.
  3. _____ Could you please help me with my homework?
  4. When I was a child, I _____ play the piano very well.
  5. You _____ call your parents more often. → You should call your parents more often.
  6. If it weren't raining, we _____ go for a walk.
  7. ____ I borrow your book for a few days? → Could I borrow your book for a few days?
  8. You ____ study for the exam to get a good grade.
  9. I _____ visit my grandparents more often if they lived closer.
  10. _____ we reschedule our meeting for tomorrow? → Could we postpone our meeting until tomorrow?

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