Grammar

Would Like

'Would like' is a polite way to express a wish or make an offer or request. It is followed by a noun or by 'to' plus the base verb.

Post

Level A1 Modals

Summary

'Would like' is a polite way to express a wish or make an offer or request. It is followed by a noun or by 'to' plus the base verb.

Structure

subject + would like + noun / to + base verb

Examples

Common mistakes

• Dropping 'to' before a verb, e.g. 'I would like go' instead of 'I would like to go'.
• Confusing 'would like' (a specific wish now) with 'like' (a general preference), e.g. 'Do you like a coffee?' instead of 'Would you like a coffee?'.

Related

Should for Advice Can and Can't for Ability

More modals

Can / Could (Ability and Permission) A2

Use 'can' for present ability and informal permission or requests. Use 'could' for past ability and for more polite requests.

Must / Have To (Obligation) B1

Use 'must' and 'have to' to express obligation or necessity. 'Mustn't' means something is forbidden, while 'don't have to' means there is no obligation.

May / Might (Possibility) B1

Use 'may' and 'might' to talk about present or future possibility. 'May' is also used for formal permission.

Would for Past Habits B2

Use 'would' to talk about repeated past actions and habits, similar to 'used to'. Unlike 'used to', 'would' is not normally used for past states.

Would (Polite Requests and Hypotheticals) B1

Use 'would' for polite requests and offers, for hypothetical results (especially in conditionals), and to describe imagined situations.

Can and Can't for Ability A1

Use 'can' to say someone is able to do something and 'can't' for inability. 'Can' is followed by the base form of the verb and stays the same for all subjects.

External links

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