Will or Would? -- "Could you please confirm whether..."

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi

Could you please tell me which one of the following sentences is correct?

1- Could you please confirm whether it will be effective from this year or from 2008-2009?

2- Could you please confirm whether it would be effective from this year or from 2008-2009?

Tom

PS:[color=red]On second thought:

1- I really don’t know if he will/ would take coffee.

2

.
Both are correct in the first instance; both are odd in the second instance: I really don’t know if he takes coffee (his habit).

3

Many thanks, Mister Micawber :smiley:

As usual, my question was incomplete. :shock:

[color=red]Is there any difference between:

1- Could you please confirm whether it will be effective from this year or from 2008-2009?

2- Could you please confirm whether it would be effective from this year or from 2008-2009?

And

1- I really don’t know if he will/ would buy coffee. (Do you see any difference, Mister Micawber?)

Tom

4

:?: :?: Hello :?: :roll:

Tom

5

Hi Tom

The degree of certainty is higher if you use the word will. Would is used to indicate a more theoretical (less real) or a more tentative situation.

Amy

6

Hi Tom,

In this sentence:

I fear there is a confusion with the tenses. I don’t know if he will is all right but I don’t know if he would is backwards and forwards at the same time. What you need is: I didn’t know if he would.

A

7

Many thanks everybody! :smiley: I am grateful.

Dear Alan

Would you say that the part in the brackets is understood? I need some more light on this please.

I really don’t know if he would buy coffee (when asked to).

Tom

8

Stretches the mind a bit too much for me and I can’t really accept the notion of ‘when asked to’ I’d have to embroider it a bit and say: I really don’t know if he would be likely to buy coffee . but no doubt someone will shoot me down in flames!

A

9

I don’t think we can rule out a possible use of ‘would’ in combination with “I really don’t know if…”, but your sentence probably isn’t the best example for doing it, Tom (especially without any context). If you added the word ‘that’, for example, it might be more palatable as a “stand-alone” combination:

I really don’t know if he would buy that coffee.

Amy

10

I think that is somewhat far-fetched!

A

11

I simply think the combination is possible. Is it the combination that you consider to be far-fetched or is it only Tom’s particular sentence? I’ve already agreed that Tom’s example isn’t particularly good with the combination (without additional context or words).

Let’s add another word to Tom’s sentence:
I really don’t know if he would ever buy that coffee.

Or, let’s look at a different sentence:
I really don’t know if he would lie.

I don’t find either sentence to be odd at all.

Amy