Learn English – the difference between would and might

modal-verbs

Me: Hey damn why isnt he picking the phone up
Friend: He might be having the lunch / He would be having the lunch

Me: Looks like it's going to rain today I should take my umbrella with me
Friend: That might be better / That would be better

Me: Of our friends who do you think might have attended Chainsmokers concert last week?
Or: Who you think would have attended Chainsmokers concert last week

The words would and might being a non native speaker sounds alike to me…

To me, I guess they both can be used for guessing. No?

Best Answer

"He might be having lunch." : It is possible that he is having lunch. We don't say whether it is likely of unlikely.

"He would be having lunch." : I have no direct evidence that he is having lunch but, based on what I do know, I conclude that he is having lunch.

"Would" is a conditional. It is more completely used with a statement of the condition (e.g. "If it is noon he would be having lunch.") but it is very common to omit the condition and it is assumed that the condition is something like "Given everything I know ...". It makes the sentence weaker by leaving open the possibility of factors unknown to the speaker.