different between could vs woulda

English

Alternative forms

• coud (obsolete)
• cou’d (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English coude, couthe, cuthe, from Old English c?þe, past indicative and past subjunctive form of cunnan (“to be able”) (compare related c?þ, whence English couth). The 'l' was added in the early 16th century by analogy with should and would; this was probably helped by the tendency for 'l' to be lost in those words (and so not written, leading to shudd, wode, etc).

Pronunciation

• (stressed) IPA^(key): /k?d/, [k??d]
• (unstressed) IPA^(key): /k?d/, [k??d]
• Rhymes: -?d

Verb

could

1. simple past tense of can

   Before I was blind, I could see very well.

2. conditional of can
   1. Used as a past subjunctive (contrary to fact).

      I think he could do it if he really wanted to.

      I wish I could fly!

   2. Used to politely ask for permission to do something.

   3. Used to politely ask for someone else to do something.

   4. Used to show the possibility that something might happen.

   5. Used to suggest something.

Usage notes

• Some speakers and writers consider it wrong to use could to refer to permission. Such people favor replacing it with might, just as they favor replacing can with may when referring to permission.

Derived terms

• could care less
• could've
• couldn't (negative form of could)
• couldst (archaic second-person of could)

Related terms

• can
• should
• would

Noun

could (plural coulds)

1. Something that could happen, or could be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.

See also

• Appendix:English modal verbs
• Appendix:English tag questions

References

Anagrams

• Cloud, cloud, culdo-

English

Etymology

Eye dialect form of a reduction of would have.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?w?d?/
• Rhymes: -?d?

Contraction

woulda

1. (colloquial) Contraction of would have.

   You woulda told him the truth.

Usage notes

Like other similarly formed contractions, speakers only use woulda to replace the modal sense of would have, i.e. where have precedes a past participle: We woulda come if you'd called. They do not use it to replace would followed by the verb have used lexically, e.g. *We woulda a reason. (We would have a reason would be contracted to We'd have a reason instead.) See also gonna.

Derived terms

• woulda, coulda, shoulda

See also

Category:English contractions