What's the difference between "If you would" and "if you want"?

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Would" here refers to "would like", which has the same meaning as "want". The only major difference between "would like" and "want" is the formality. "Would like" is much more polite and less demanding than "want". If you tell someone that you "want" something, it is very direct compared to "would like", and can be seen as a demand. Ex: I would like a cup of tea, please. Ex: I want some water.

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Popular Q&As

12/11

1
Can I say "this job is for a grown-up"? What is the difference?
Yes, you can say "this job is for a grown-up." The sentence meaning stays mostly the same, with only the grammar pattern itself being different.

2
Can I get more examples with "feel like". I guess it's pretty common phrase to say.
Yeah, sure! It is pretty common. You're right. Ex: I feel like I could sleep for a whole week. Ex: She didn't feel like coming. Ex: He felt like going for a run today. Ex: Tim, do you feel like having tacos for dinner? Ex: Glen didn't feel like performing on stage that night. Ex: My dream felt like it was real. Ex: Riding the rollercoaster felt like such a rush.

3
What is "selfie"? Where does this word come from?
A "selfie" an image that includes you (alone, with another person or as part of a group) and is taken by pointing the camera at yourself (self + -ie). The first-known appearance of "selfie" in written form occurred in 2002 on an Australian news website, but the word didn't see much use until 2012. By November 2013, "selfie" was appearing frequently enough in print and electronic media that Oxford Dictionaries (publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary as well as other dictionaries) chose the word as its Word of the Year. Ex: Let's take a selfie. Ex: Because I went on holiday by myself I took a lot of selfies.

4
What does "be better off" mean?
"Better off" means to be in a better and more advantageous position. In this video, the narrator says that it would be a better decision to reply to emails in chronological order than it would be to reply to them by importance. Ex: He's better off now that he works there instead of at the grocery store. Ex: She's better off without him. Ex: Financially, I'm better off buying a house than renting one.

5
What does "agent" mean here? I thought the word "agent" is only used for referring to agents of the FBI, CIA and so on.
The word "agent" in this context refers to a person or a thing who causes an effect on something or plays a significant role in something. So in this case, "death" is described as an "agent" to mean that it has a great effect on "life". Ex: Universities are agents of education.

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