In which meaning and tense 'would' is used in the following sentences: For example, That would?

Question

...  be Ram calling. I'll answer it.( the meaning of would and in which tense its used here ?)

"The guy on the phone had southern accent."
"That would be Tom." (the meaning of would and in which tense its used here)

"We saw a police helicopter overhead yesterday morning."
"Really? They would have been looking for those bank robbers." (the meaning of would and in which tense its used here)

You would have to say/do that. (why would is used here ? What happens in meaning if would is removed?)

5.john said he didn't steal money.| well, he would, wouldn't he ? (why would is used here ?) Why 'would' is used in those 1,2,3 sentences to mean "presumption" instead of using other 'must', 'may', 'could', or 'might'? Does meaning changes if used others? Can we use 'may', 'might', and 'could' in the place of would without changing the meaning of sentences ? I'd be greatfull if you could answer me. Thanks in advance

Answer

would
modal verb
    1.    past of will1, in various senses.
    "he said he would be away for a couple of days"
    2.    (expressing the conditional mood) indicating the consequence of an imagined event or situation.
    "he would lose his job if he were identified"
google.com

"The guy on the phone had southern accent."
"That would be Tom."  This is a conditional tense: "If (or because) he had an accent, that was Tom."

The other examples are similar.

In which meaning and tense 'would' is used in the following sentences: For example, That would?

Answers (1)