Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[sara19]

Hi teachers,

It's hard for me to use "would" since it has many meanings.

In this case↓, what does the sentence (or would) mean?
Years later, I would pass this house and remember the order.

[CP]

In this context, would is used to indicate some action repeated from time to time in the past. In French, it would be expressed with the imperfect tense.

A paraphrase: "Years later, I used to pass this house and remember the order."

Another: "Years afterward, I passed this house from time to time and remembered the order."
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[sara19]

I understand that
"would" is used to indicate some action repeated from time to time in the past.

The sentence I quoted (Years later I would pass this house...) was in a diary where the author wrote all events of the day in the past tense.

Does this "would" express custom or habitual action?

[CP]

Well, it is possible that this diary writer was actually saying that now, years later, he wants to pass this house and remember the order. (A little more context might help us interpret this, actually. What order? What else is he writing about?)

The words "will" and "would" (the conditional form of "will") originally meant want or wish. "Will," as I was taught in Latin class long ago, comes from the Latin "volere," to want or wish. If it is my will to do something, that is what I want to do, and if I want to do it (if I will it to be), I shall do it. That is how the word "will" began to be used for the future tense.

If this diary was written, say, more than 50 years ago, then the writer might have been using the word "would" in its slightly old fashioned form, to mean that he would want to pass the house.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[sara19]

It is interesting that "will" and "would" originally meant want or wish. Your knowledge is very helpful.

Is it possible to interpret it like this?
If I passed the house years later, I would remember what they ordered.

Things they ordered were pizza and coke.

[CP]

Yes.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb