Would

Principalmente, usamos el verbo auxiliar modal would para uso condicional.

En inglés, hay cuatro condicionales: cero, primero, segundo y tercera condicional. Solamente las condicionales segunda y tercera requieren el uso de would, pero haremos un resumen de todas las condicionales, aun así.

Cero condicional: se usa para presentar hechos o situaciones reales en el presente

(If + presente simple + presente simple).

  • If I light a match, it burns.
  • If you boil water, it reaches 100 degrees Celsius.
  • If you attack animals they get angry.

Primer condicional: se usa para presentar hechos o situaciones en el futuro

(If + presente + will + infinitivo).

  • If you go to school, I’ll buy you a present.
  • If you eat too many calories, you’ll get fat.
  • If he comes early, we’ll be happy.

Segundo condicional (con would): Se usa para situaciones hipotéticas o imaginarias en el presente o el futuro

(If + pasado simple + would + infinitivo).

  • If you lived closer to home, you’d be able to commute faster to work. (‘d = forma de contracción de ‘would’).
  • If only she knew about the living circumstances, she wouldn’t be living there today.
  • If Harry took the daily commute to London at 5.00 am, he would arrive much earlier.

Tercer condicional (con would): se usa para circunstancias absolutamente hipotéticas e imaginarias en el futuro o pasado

(If + pasado perfecto + would + have + participio pasado).

  • If we had lived in New York we would have met so many interesting people.
  • If only I had been born in the first century, I would have lived through the Roman Empire.
  • If I had won the lottery I would have given you at least half of my winnings.

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