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Will and would are used to express what we believe or guess to be ture. Although they lack the assertive force of must and can't ( in the sense of inference or logical conclusion), they do not necessarily indicate any less certainty on the past of the speaker. Indeed, the truth of what is asserted is more or less taken for granted. Used with the present infinitive, will and would refer to present time: You will already be familiar with this subject. This is not a statement relating to furture time, but means 'You are, I feel sure, already familiar with this subject.' Would is used as the tentatibe form of will, and is more commonly used than will in questions (which necessarily indicate some lack of certainty): He would be a friend of yours, I suppose? Would your name be Smith, by any chance? To refer to past time, we use will and would with the perfect infinitive: John: I met a charming girl at your party last night. Peter: Ah, yes! That will/would have been my cousin Sarah. |