English Reference

Word

you'd

Phoneticsyoud

Definition

pron. a short way of saying 'you would' or 'you had'. You use it to talk about something that might happen or something you did in the past.

pron. the contracted form of 'you would' or 'you had'. Functions as a subject-auxiliary cluster in spoken and informal written English.

Examples

“I think you'd really like this movie.”

“If you'd told me you were coming, I would have prepared some dinner for us.”

“You'd be surprised how many people forget to check their passports before heading to the airport for an international flight.”

Examples

simple

“I think you'd really like this movie.”

contextual

“If you'd told me you were coming, I would have prepared some dinner for us.”

complex

“You'd be surprised how many people forget to check their passports before heading to the airport for an international flight.”

Usage

The meaning depends on the following verb: followed by a base verb, it means 'you would'; followed by a past participle, it means 'you had'.

Pitfall

If you'd have known

If you'd known

In conditional sentences, 'you'd' (you had) is followed directly by the past participle, not by 'have'.

Collocations

you'd likeyou'd expect

This entry

Level
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

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English Reference