...which would meet all our demands [would or could]

[Ola Swensson]

Dear Members of the Forum,

I have a question related to the use of "would" in the text below (written by me):

"When I was a child, once a month, we used to go out together for cultural activities. We could visit museums and art galleries, or we could go to the concert, theatre and the like. It’s true that making choices did not always come easily to us. Some of us were fond of music, while the others might have been quite indifferent to it. But we were learning to make courageous compromises and always managed to find something appropriate that would meet all our demands".

I wonder if it is correct to use "would" in this case.
On the one hand, it concerns past events, so it should be "would have been", but on the other hand, it is not an unreal conditional...
Perhaps I should use "could" here in the sense of general possibility?
Are there any other ways to express this idea?

Could anyone help me please?

Thank you very much in advance.

 

[Tarheel]

...

Could anyone help me please?

[....]

The original is fine.

 

[Ola Swensson]

Thank you Tarheel!

I've found in the Cambridge Dictionary that one of the meanings of "would" is:
would (modal verb) - used to refer to a possibility or likelihood.
Ex.: I would hate to miss the show.

Is "would" used in this meaning here?

Can we use "would have met" here, as we talk about the events in the past?

What about "could meet"?

 

[emsr2d2]

Dear members of the forum,

Note that there was no need to capitalise either of the common nouns in your greeting. In future, you don't need a greeting at all but if you really want to use one, stick with a nice simple "Hello".

 

[teechar]

"When I was a child, once a month, we used to go out together for cultural activities. We could visit museums and art galleries, or we could go to the a concert, the theatre and the like.

You should use "would" there. "Would" is used for past habits/regular actions. The use of "could" suggests you're talking about something that was possible in the past (and may not be possible any longer).

It’s true that making choices did not wasn't always come easily easy to decide where to go. us. Some of us were fond of music, while the others might have been quite indifferent to it. But we were learning to make courageous compromises and always managed to find something appropriate that would meet all our demands".

"Would meet" is correct and natural there.

On the one hand, it concerns past events, so it should be "would have been",

No. See above.

but on the other hand, it is not an unreal conditional...

Right, so forget about it.

Perhaps I should use "could" here in the sense of general possibility?

See my comment above about "could".

 

[Ola Swensson]

You should use "would" there. "Would" is used for past habits/regular actions. The use of "could" suggests you're talking about something that was possible in the past (and may not be possible any longer).

Thank you teechar!

Indeed I had some doubts about using "could" in these sentences. As you have put it,"would" indicates things from the past that were a regular practice or habit, while "could" indicates possibilities. So, while using "could" in these cases I wanted to tell not so much about our regular actions, but to emphasize the possibilities that we had within our regular practice. Do you think it is incorrect to use "could" in this meaning?

When I say "that would meet all our demands", is "would" used here in the meaning of a regular practice or habit too?

​

 

[jutfrank]

It's 'future-in-the-past'.

something that will meet all our demands

Here, will relates to the future from the perspective of now.

something that would meet all our demands

Here, would relates to the future from the perspective of the past.

 

[teechar]

So, while using "could" in these cases I wanted to tell talk not so much about our regular actions, but to emphasize the possibilities that we had within our regular practice. Do you think it is incorrect to use "could" in this meaning?

No. That would not be incorrect. You can use it that way.

 

[Ola Swensson]

Thank you teechar!
... and thank you so much for having checked grammar in my text! ))

 

[Daniela Aguirre Macias]

Dear Members of the Forum,

I have a question related to the use of "would" in the text below (written by me):

"When I was a child, once a month, we used to go out together for cultural activities. We could visit museums and art galleries, or we could go to the concert, theatre and the like. It’s true that making choices did not always come easily to us. Some of us were fond of music, while the others might have been quite indifferent to it. But we were learning to make courageous compromises and always managed to find something appropriate that would meet all our demands".

I wonder if it is correct to use "would" in this case.
On the one hand, it concerns past events, so it should be "would have been", but on the other hand, it is not an unreal conditional...
Perhaps I should use "could" here in the sense of general possibility?
Are there any other ways to express this idea?

Could anyone help me please?

Thank you very much in advance.

Not a teacher. (Added by mod)

Dear Forum Member,
Your use of "would" in "that would meet all our demands" is correct. "Would" here reflects a repeated or habitual outcome in the past, fitting the context of your narrative about recurring compromises during cultural outings.
Using "could" instead would shift the focus to possibility rather than certainty, making the sentence less definitive. "Would have been" is unnecessary as it implies a hypothetical or unreal past, which doesn’t match your example.
"Would" is the best choice to convey the consistent success of these compromises. I hope this helps clarify things!

 

[Tarheel]

The word "would" is a word some people use to talk about their habitual past actions.

I used to walk to school every day.

OR

I would walk to school every day.

 

[5jj]

@Daniela Aguirre Macias, you're welcome to reply to threads and offer your input, but please be sure and clarify that you're not a teacher.

 

[Tarheel]

@Daniela Aguirre Macias There are some problems with word choice in post #10.

 

[teechar]

@Daniela Aguirre Macias also please tell us which AI tool you used to formulate your answer.

 

[Daniela Aguirre Macias]

I’m not a teacher, but based on my teachers’ lessons and some research I’ve done, I came to that conclusion. I appreciate your feedback and will take it into account as I’m still learning. I’m new to this platform, and I hope you can continue helping me.