It would sound odd. We would normally say ...

[Kontol]

My question is about "would" and "will" in the following dialogue. I'm confused as to why speaker B doesn't use "will" instead. Why not "it will sound odd", we will normally say ...","it will be best to say?"

Can you explain?

A: My birthday party is on Saturday, April 4th this week.
Can I insert "of" before "this week"?
B: It would sound odd. We would normally say 'Saturday of this week' without specifying the date. It would be best to say 'My birthday party is this week, on Saturday April 4th'.

 

[tedmc]

Will implies certainty whereas would implies probability/likelihood/inclination. Things said using the latter are supposed to be more polite and softer, expressing an opinion rather than a fact or absolute truth, while allowing some leeway for deviation.

 

[emsr2d2]

Can I insert "of" before "this week"?

B: If you did that, it would sound odd. If we said that sentence, we would normally say 'Saturday of this week' without specifying the date. If you want to use that sentence, it would be best to say 'My birthday party is this week, on Saturday April 4th'.

In this context, each "would" implies a hypothetical. I've added an "if" clause to each sentence to demonstrate that.
If you'd come across those "If" sentences in real life, I don't think you would have had trouble understanding the use of "would". Am I correct in thinking that?

 

[Rover_KE]

To avoid confusion, and to avoid making people having to ask for clarification, always specify the date.

 

[Kontol]

In this context, each "would" implies a hypothetical. I've added an "if" clause to each sentence to demonstrate that.
If you'd come across those "If" sentences in real life, I don't think you would have had trouble understanding the use of "would". Am I correct in thinking that?

My confusion is about "will". Can it be used instead of "would" in the sentence? So I can say:

A: My birthday party is on Saturday, April 4th this week.
Can I insert "of" before "this week"?
B: It will sound odd. We will normally say 'Saturday of this week' without specifying the date. It will be best to say 'My birthday party is this week, on Saturday April 4th'.

 

[Tarheel]

No. Don't use "will" there.

 

[SoothingDave]

No. You are proposing a hypothetical. If I say this, it would sound odd.

Read post number 3.

 

[emsr2d2]

You could use"will" in the first instance, if you still view it as a type of hypothetical.
If you say it that way, it will sound odd.
Note the difference in tense in the first clause, from:
If you said it that way, it would sound odd.

You can't use "will" in the second instance because you're talking about a general habit. There are two ways of doing that:
We normally say "Saturday of this week". (Statement of fact about a general habit.)
We would normally say "Saturday of this week". (Implied hypothetical - 'If we were telling people when our birthday was, we would say ...". This still refers to a general habit.)

You could use "will" in the third instance, again if you view it in the same way as the first.
If you go ahead and say that, it will be best to say ...
(Note that it would still be more natural to use "it would be best to say" in that sentence.)

 

[Kontol]

You could use"will" in the first instance, if you still view it as a type of hypothetical.
If you say it that way, it will sound odd.
Note the difference in tense in the first clause, from:
If you said it that way, it would sound odd.

In this case, the difference might be the first, speaker A is definitely going to say it that way.

Second, it's a hypothetical.

Is my understanding right?

 

[emsr2d2]

In this case, the difference might be the first, speaker A is definitely going to say it that way.

No. The use of "If" shows that they're not definitely going to say it that way. It shows that the speaker is clear that the other person has the option to say it that way and wants to tell them what the consequences will be if they make that choice.

 

[Kontol]

No. The use of "If" shows that they're not definitely going to say it that way. It shows that the speaker is clear that the other person has the option to say it that way and wants to tell them what the consequences will be if they make that choice.

I'm confused because "will" is also a first conditional sentence. I view it as a type of hypothetical.

(If you say it that way), It will sound odd. We will normally say 'Saturday of this week' without specifying the date. It will be best to say 'My birthday party is this week, on Saturday April 4th'

"Would" is also hypothetical, a second conditional sentence.

(If you said it that way), It would sound odd. We would normally say 'Saturday of this week' without specifying the date. It would be best to say 'My birthday party is this week, on Saturday April 4th'.
My confusion is why does B use "would" instead of "will" in her response? They are both correct. The condition is implied, not stated. Can you explain more clearly, sir?

 

[jutfrank]

I view ["will"] as a type of hypothetical.

Get rid of this idea. For hypotheticals, use 'would', not 'will'.

It will sound odd = real future possibility
It would sound odd = hypothetical

 

[Tarheel]

You are only going to be able to talk about conditionals with ESL teachers. Almost no native speaker has any idea what a conditional is. And those who have heard of them can't tell one from another.