To be an advanced English speaker, you must know how to use these words well! Let's review how to use 'might', 'could' and 'would'.
//Summary - Level-B2//
To speak advanced English, it's essential to understand how to use might, could, and would. These words help express possibility, polite suggestions, and imaginary situations. Might means something is possible but not inevitable. Could shows past ability or present/future potential, and is also used for polite suggestions. Would is often used for imagined situations or past intentions. All three are common in everyday conversation and can add subtle meaning to your speech. Learning their correct use takes time, but by listening to native speakers and practising regularly, your English can become more natural and expressive.
//Summary//
Using "Might", "Could", and "Would" in English Conversation
To sound more natural and fluent in English, it’s essential to understand how to use might, could, and would. These words are common in daily conversation and allow you to express possibility, politeness, suggestions, and hypothetical situations with subtlety.
1. "Might" – Expressing Possibility (Less Certain)
Basic meaning: Might often means maybe or possibly. It shows uncertainty about the present or future.
Example: He might come to the party. (Not certain)
"Might" vs "May": Both mean maybe, but might expresses a lower probability.
Example: He may come (more likely) vs. He might come (less likely)
Past possibility: Use might have + past participle to discuss past uncertainty.
Example: I might have left my sunglasses at the café.
2. "Could" – Possibility, Polite Suggestions, and Ability
General past ability: Could is used for general skills in the past.
Example: I could run fast when I was a child.
Specific success in the past: Use was able to or managed to.
Example: I was able to find him. (One-time success)
In conversation, could is often used for:
Possibility: He could be in his office this afternoon.
Polite suggestions: We could go to the park. (Soft, not pushy)
Hypothetical or exaggerated statements:
I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.
They could talk forever.
Past hypothetical: Could have + past participle shows a missed possibility.
Example: I could have asked for help, but I didn’t.
3. "Would" – Hypotheticals and Imagined Situations
Reported speech: Used when retelling someone’s words.
Example: She said she would call you.
Imaginary/hypothetical situations: Often used with implied or real conditionals.
Example:
What would you do if you won the lottery?
I would go if I were you.
Polite opinions or advice:
I wouldn’t go to that party. (Implied: if I were you)
Past hypothetical: Would have + past participle shows imagined results in the past.
Example:
I wouldn’t have ordered the pasta if I had known.
Anyone else would have done the same.
Final Advice
The writer shares a personal story of how difficult it was initially to understand these words when living in New Zealand. Over time, by listening closely to native speakers and noticing how might, could, and would are used in honest conversations, it became clear. Understanding grammar is essential, but exposure to natural usage is key. The more you listen and try using these words yourself, the more fluent and expressive your English will become.
A)
1)
'Might', 'could' and 'would'. Do you have a clear understanding of these three particles?
'I don't know how to use them...'
'They seem difficult.'
'Can't I get my point across without using them?'
2)
But these particles are words that native speakers use very often in conversation.
If you can use them well, you can express subtle nuances, and, above all, your range of expressions will expand significantly.
Each of these three particles has many meanings, but I would like to introduce how to use them by focusing on those that are particularly useful in conversation.
B)
3)
1. 'Might' is 'maybe'.
First, let's look at 'might'.
Does anyone remember that 'might' is the past tense of 'may', meaning 'maybe'? Perhaps that's why it isn't easy to understand.
4)
How to use 'might'.
In fact, 'might' is only used as the past tense of 'may' in limited cases. It still means 'guessing', but it is used more when discussing the present or future in conversation.
5)
For example, consider the following two sentences:
He will come to the party.
He might come to the party.
6)
The first sentence uses 'will', which ensures he will come, but the second sentence uses 'might', which makes it seem ambiguous.
'Might' looks like the past tense of 'may', but it doesn't refer to the past.
We often use 'maybe', a derivative of 'may', when talking about 'maybe', but 'might' is also used very often in conversation.
7)
Examples:
I might go to Russia this summer.
He might be able to help you.
I might be a little late for the meeting.
I'm not sure, but it might be true.
8)
The difference between 'may' and 'might' is the degree of probability.
Both 'may' and 'might' express 'maybe'. Let's take a closer look at the difference between them.
Put, the difference is the degree of possibility.
9)
'May' > 'might'
'Might' is used to express 'maybe', which is less likely than 'may'.
1. He may come to the party.
2. He might come to the party.
Both sentences have the exact Japanese translation, but the second sentence using 'might' in English suggests a lower likelihood.
10)
The past tense of 'might have' is 'might have + past participle'.
If 'might' is used to express a conjecture about the present or future, how can the past possibility of 'might have been' be represented?
You can use "might have + past participle" in such a case.
11)
Example:
I might have left my sunglasses at the cafe.
The letter might have arrived last week.
John might have gone home.
I might have won a million dollars if I had bought a lottery ticket.
C)
12)
2. 'Could' means 'able to do ~ (general ability in the past)'.
Next is 'could'.
I'm sure some people use 'could' as the past tense of 'can' to mean 'able to do ~'.
13)
Check out the example sentences to see how to use it:
For example, imagine you are looking for John and find him. After a while, your colleague asks, 'Did you find John?' You reply, 'Yes, I was able to find him.'
14)
In that case, which of the following do you think is correct?
A. I could find him.
B. I was able to find him.
You can't use 'could' in this situation, as it mostly expresses a general ability in the past.
15)
For example:
I could eat 3 Big Macs easily when I was young.
My son could walk when he was less than a year old.
Therefore, you can use 'was able to' to express 'I was able to find him', which does not refer to a general ability. You can also use 'was able to' to express something that was only possible at that moment. 'Managed to' is often used when you want to emphasise that you did it after much effort.
16)
Now, let's look at how to use 'could' in conversation.
In conversation, "could" refers to the present or future.
There are a few cases where 'could' refers to the past in conversation; 'could' is often used to talk about the present or future, just like 'might'.
17)
In that case, there are three main ways to use it:
1. When expressing possibility
2. When making a modest suggestion
3. When expressing an analogy
18)
1. 'Could' expressing possibility
While 'might' expresses the speaker's vague guess, 'could' has the nuance of being possible or possibly possible.
It could be true.
He could come to the party.
She could be in her office this afternoon.
19)
2. 'Could' as a modest suggestion
It is also used in suggestions such as 'How about we do ~?' or 'Shall we do ~?' This is a very polite way of saying, 'I'm not doing this right now, but I can do it,' so you can suggest without putting pressure on the other person.
Do you want to come? Or I could come to your house instead.
We could postpone the meeting until following Monday.
We don't sell newspapers, but you could visit the store nearby.
20)
3. 'Could' is used to express an analogy.
We learnt about the 'conditional mood' at school, but you can also use 'could' to exaggerate something that is not possible in reality without using 'if'.
21)
The girls have been talking all day. They could talk forever.
I’m exhausted. I could sleep for a week.
I’m so hungry. I could eat 100 pieces of sushi.
'Could have + past participle' is used to express 'I could have done something (but I didn't do it)'.
'Could have + past participle' is used to express 'might have been' and 'I could have done something, but I didn't'.
22)
His story could have been true.
That was a terrible accident. But it could have been worse.
Did you take a taxi to the airport? You could have called me.
I could have asked for help, but I decided not to.
D)
23)
3. 'Would' is 'I guess'.
While interrogative forms such as 'Would you like to...?' are familiar, some people may not know how to use 'would' in affirmative sentences. However, 'would' is a particle often used in conversation. Be sure to master it!
24)
Firstly, 'would' often appears in conversation as the past tense of 'will' when someone repeats what someone else said, e.g. 'I will...'.
John said he would call you later.
She said she would come to the party on Saturday.
25)
This is relatively easy to understand, but native speakers often use 'would' in conversations for reasons other than expressing the past.
'Would' in conversation is used for 'imaginary stories/analogies'.
The key to using 'would' in conversation is 'imaginary stories' and 'analogies'.
26)
'Would' is used when discussing imagination, for example, 'I guess...', or analogies, 'If... I would do...'.
27)
Example 1:
For example, if you are going to an Italian restaurant for the first time and want to ask your friend what they want to eat, you could say:
A： What would you order at the Italian restaurant?
B： I would order a Margherita pizza.
28)
This isn't about your friend ordering at the restaurant; it's an analogy of 'what would you order if they were to order', so 'would you' is the correct answer, not 'do you' or 'will you'.
29)
Let me give you another example.
Example 2:
You are wondering whether to go to a party. When you ask your friend for advice, they say, 'I wouldn't go.' This is also a typical way of using 'would'.
A： I wonder if I should go to the party.
B： I would go (if I were you).
30)
It can be expressed so simply.
You don't have to say 'If I were you'; 'I would go' conveys the same meaning.
31)
'Would have + past participle'
To express 'would have' or 'if...' about something from the past, you also use the past participle: 'would have + past participle'.
32)
For example, consider a situation you might see on the news:
A person is drowning in a river, and someone passing by jumps in to rescue them without regard for their safety. You've probably heard this heroic line before.
33)
Anyone else would have done the same.
Since this is imaginary, 'would' is used, but since it is an imagined 'would have' about the past, 'would have' is used.
34)
Another example. Let's return to the story of the Italian restaurant you visited for the first time.
Let's say you went to a restaurant and ate pasta. When you told your friend about it later, he said, "The pasta there isn't delicious." If you feel the same way, you can reply in this way.
If I had known that, I wouldn't have ordered.
"Wouldn't (= would not)" is in the negative form, but it is in the past perfect tense because it is a past story of "wouldn't have ordered."
E)
35)
Finally:
When I first started living in New Zealand, I was embarrassed to admit that I didn't understand the difference between 'might', 'could', and 'would'. I couldn't imagine how or where to use them.
36)
However, when I listen carefully to a native speaker in conversation, I gradually realise, 'Oh! So that's how you use it here!' It's essential not only to understand grammar, but also to be exposed to used sentences.
Once you start to understand, try using them in conversation. This will surely broaden your range of expression!
To be an advanced English speaker, you must know how to use these words well! Let's review how to use 'might', 'could' and 'would'.
https://eikaiwa.dmm.com/blog/learning-english/english-usage/might-could-would/
