would like和 want
A 在下列情況下,這兩個詞可以互換使用：
1 用于請求或有關(guān)請求的問句中（但這里不使用 would not like,參見下面B1）：
Customer：I’d like some raspberries,please．/I want some raspberries,please．
顧客：請給我拿點兒木莓.
Greengrocer：I’m afraid I haven’t any．Would you like somestrawberries?
蔬菜水果商：對不起,我沒有木莓了.您來點草莓怎么樣?
Customer：No,I don’t want any strawberries,thanks．
顧客：不,我不想要草莓.（這里不能用 wouldn’t like.）
I would like常常要比 I want更有禮貌.
would you like?要比do you want?更有禮貌,也更殷勤.
would you like?可以含有愿意滿足別人的希望的意思.do youwant?則不含有這種意思.因此,與顧客或客人打交道時,通常用 would you like?：
Caller：I’d like to/I want to speak to Mr X,please．
打電話者：我想找X先生說話.
Telephonist：Mr X is out．Would you like to speak to Mr
話務(wù)員：X先生出去了.您跟Y先生說行嗎?
2 如果不是提出請求而只是談到愿望時,可以隨意用would like或want的肯定式、疑問式或否定式.它們的意思沒有區(qū)別,然而,I want要比I would like顯得更自信.I want通常不用于表示不可實現(xiàn)的愿望：
I would like to live on Mars．
但愿我能住到火星上去.
B would like和want在下列用法中不能互換：
1 表示邀請時用 would you like?結(jié)構(gòu),而不能用do you want?結(jié)構(gòu)：
Would you like a cup of coffee?
您想喝一杯咖啡嗎?
Would you like to come to the theatre?
您想來劇院看戲嗎?
do you want?用于此處只表示一種詢問,不含有邀請的意思.
2 wouldn’t like和 don’t want是有區(qū)別的.
don’t want表示沒有某種愿望；wouldn’t like表示不喜歡.因此,wouldn’t like不能用來回答邀請或提議,因為在這種回答中 wouldn’t like的口氣將是不禮貌的.在這里常用 don’twant或其他形式來代替 wouldn’t like：
—Would you like some more coffee?
—No,I don’t want any more,thanks．/No,thanks．
—您再來點兒咖啡嗎?
—不,不要了,
C 在過去時中這兩種形式的變化不同.在間接引語中want變?yōu)?wanted,而would like不起變化：
Tom said,‘I would like/want to see it．’
湯姆說：“我想看看它”.相當(dāng)于：
Tom said he would like/wanted to see it．
湯姆說他想看看它.
但如果不用間接引語的結(jié)構(gòu)來表示,只能說：Tom wanted tosee it（這里我們不能用would like因為Tom would like to seeit的意思是指現(xiàn)在或?qū)恚?
D would like有兩個過去形式：would like+ 不定式的完成式或would like+ 不定式/名詞/代詞.這些形式只能表示未能實現(xiàn)的愿望：
I’d like to have gone skiing．/I’d have liked a day’s skiing．
我本想去滑雪的.（但我未能實現(xiàn)我的愿望.）