1. 表示意愿

will 表示现在的意愿，would表示过去的意愿：

I will pay you at the rate you ask. 我愿意照你要求的价钱付款。

Go where you will. 你愿到哪里就到哪里。

He wouldn’t help me yesterday. 他昨天不愿帮助我。

She asked if I would go with them. 她问我是否愿同他们一起去。

【注】(1) 表示“意愿”的 will 有时可用于条件句中：

If you will allow me, I will see you home. 如果你同意，我可以送你回家。

(2) would也可表示现在的意愿，语气较委婉：

I’d go there with you. 我愿同你去那儿。

I wouldn’t go. 我不会去。

2. 表示征求意见或提出请求

主要用于第二人称的疑问句中，will和would均可用，would此时并不表过去，而表示委婉语气：

Won’t you take off your coat? 你要不要把大衣脱掉?

Will [would] you please post the letter for me? 请帮我寄了这封信好吗?

Would Sunday night suit you? 星期天晚上适合你吗?

【注】(1) 有时为使语气委婉，可用否定式。总的说来，用would比用will委婉，用won’t和wouldn’t比单独用will和would要委婉。

(2) would有时用于提出想法，通常与like, love, hate, prefer, be glad, be happy等连用，若用于第一人称有时也可将would换成should：

I’d like [love] to have a look at it. 我想看看它。

I would prefer not to go out today. 我今天不想出去。

3. 表示习惯和倾向性

will表示现在的习惯，would表示过去的习惯：

Oil will float on water. 油总是浮在水上。

This window won’t open. 这扇窗户经常打不开。

He’ll talk for hours, if you let him. 你要让他讲，他会讲几个小时。

The wound would not heal. (过去)伤口老不愈合。

When he was a child, he would often go skiing. 他小时候经常去滑雪。

He would sit there for hours sometimes doing nothing at all. 有时他在那里一坐几个钟头，什么也不做。

【注】有时would表示经常发生的令人不耐烦的事：

That’s just like him—he would lose his keys! 他就是这样，老丢钥匙!