[Grammar] What does it mean to say "I'd say"?

Dear teachers,

Would you please tell me what B means in the following conversation?

A: I think motorcycles are more dangerous than cars.
B: I'd say.

I have another question about the word 'spark'. If something sparked a lot of discussion, it means it caused a lot of discussion?

NOT A TEACHER.

"I'd say so" or "I'd say yes" would be correct, but I'm not sure about "I'd say." I think if you put emphasis on "say" it's clear that you're answering the question affirmatively.

Yes, to spark a lot of discussion means to cause a lot of discussion.

Heidi said:

Dear teachers,

Would you please tell me what B means in the following conversation?

A: I think motorcycles are more dangerous than cars.
B: I'd say.

I have another question about the word 'spark'. If something sparked a lot of discussion, it means it caused a lot of discussion?

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You could reply, "I'll say!" to this, but I haven't heard "I'd say" - and "I'll say" is outdated anyway.
(Don't ask me why we say/said this.)

Raymott said:

You could reply, "I'll say!" to this, but I haven't heard "I'd say" - and "I'll say" is outdated anyway.
(Don't ask me why we say/said this.)

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Absolutely! I don't think I've heard anyone say "I'll say!" for about 20 years and I too have no idea why we said it in the first place.

Heidi said:

Dear teachers,

Would you please tell me what B means in the following conversation?

A: I think motorcycles are more dangerous than cars.
B: I'd say.

I have another question about the word 'spark'. If something sparked a lot of discussion, it means it caused a lot of discussion?

Click to expand...

One of the modal functions of ‘would’ is to express a wish politely.
I would = I wish to
I would say + adverb = I wish to say something (As suggested by Jasmin the something can be ‘yes’ or ’so’)
It can also be interpreted as : I wish to(would) say “I am in complete agreement with you”

sarat_106 said:

One of the modal functions of ‘would’ is to express a wish politely.
I would = I wish to
I would say + adverb = I wish to say something (As suggested by Jasmin the something can be ‘yes’ or ’so’)
It can also be interpreted as : I wish to(would) say “I am in complete agreement with you”

Click to expand...

Are you telling us that "I'd say." is used as a response in Indian English?

Raymott said:

Are you telling us that "I'd say." is used as a response in Indian English?

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Yes, we often consider it as a polite reply.
A: What will be your reply if some one asks to know specifically the reasons for your conspicuous absence
B: I would say, I am sorry
Of course, I would not deny that many are likely to use 'will' instead of 'would'

sarat_106 said:

Yes, we often consider it as a polite reply.
A: What will be your reply if some one asks to know specifically the reasons for your conspicuous absence
B: I would say, I am sorry
Of course, I would not deny that many are likely to use 'will' instead of 'would'

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I think this is a little different to the point of the original thread. In most versions of English you can say "I would (I'd) say I'm sorry" or something similar.

The original post showed that "I'd say!" is a response to a statement, not a question, and it's a response on its own with no other words required. It's almost an exclamation. And as we've said, in BrE, it would be "I'll say!"

So an exchange might go:

"Wow, it's very hot today!"
"I'll say!"

The response simply means "Yes, I agree with you".

Raymott said:

You could reply, "I'll say!" to this, but I haven't heard "I'd say" - and "I'll say" is outdated anyway.
(Don't ask me why we say/said this.)

Click to expand...

:up: - though apparently not in Indian English.

In Br English, 'I'd say' is used to introduce an estimate: 'I'd say there were about 100 people there.' ["I would say this, but others might disagree."]

So if someone speaking Br English said 'I'd say motorcycles...' it means 'That's what I'd say, but others might disagree'. Similarly, if someone said 'Motorbikes are dangerous...' and somebody else responded 'I'd say' it would imply "I agree; that's what I'd say too. But some people would probably disagree." But this is a pretty unlikely scenario. I think the person agreeing would say something more explicit - like 'I'd say that too.'

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