用法一:表示意愿
will 表示现在的意愿,would表示过去的意愿:
Go where you will. 你愿到哪里就到哪里。
She asked if I would go with them. 她问我是否愿同他们一起去。
注意:
(1) 表示“意愿”的 will 有时可用于条件句中:
If you will allow me, I will see you home. 如果你同意,我可以送你回家。
(2) would也可表示现在的意愿,语气较委婉:
I wouldn’t go. 我不会去。
用法二:表示征求意见或提出请求
主要用于第二人称的疑问句中,will和would均可用,would此时并不表过去,而表示委婉语气:
Will [would] you please post the letter for me? 请帮我寄了这封信好吗?
Would Sunday night suit you? 星期天晚上适合你吗?
注意:
(1) 有时为使语气委婉,可用否定式。总的说来,用would比用will委婉,用won’t和wouldn’t比单独用will和would要委婉。
(2) would有时用于提出想法,通常与like, love, hate, prefer, be glad, be happy等连用,若用于第一人称有时也可将would换成should:
I’d like [love] to have a look at it. 我想看看它。
I would prefer not to go out today. 我今天不想出去。
用法三:表示习惯和倾向性
will表示现在的习惯,would表示过去的习惯:
Oil will float on water. 油总是浮在水上。
When he was a child, he would often go skiing. 他小时候经常去滑雪。
注意:
有时would表示经常发生的令人不耐烦的事:
That’s just like him—he would lose his keys! 他就是这样,老丢钥匙!
用法四:表示推测
will用于谈论现在,would可用于谈论过去,也可用于谈论现在(语气较委婉):
This car will hold six people. 这辆小汽车可以坐六个人。
Every family would have some sort of trouble. 家家都会有本难念的经。
The person you mentioned would be her father, is that right? 你提的那个人想必是她的父亲,对吗?
注意:
有时可后接完成式,表示对过去可能已经发生的情况进行推测:
You will have heard of it. 你已经听到那事了吧。
I thought you would have finished it by now. 我想你现在可能已经做完了吧。
用法五:表示执意或决心
will表示现在的执意和决心,would表示过去的执意和决心:
“Tell me the secret.” “I won’t.”“把秘密告诉我。”“我才不哩。”
I won’t have anything said against her. 我绝不让谁说她的坏话。
He would do it, though I told him not to. 虽然我叫他不要做,可是他偏要做。
注意:此用法可视为表意愿的加强用法,即强烈的意愿即为决心。