We often use would (or the contracted form ’d) in the main clause of a conditional sentence when we talk about imagined situations:

If we had left earlier, we would have been able to stop off for a coffee on the way.

If we went to Chile, we’d have to go to Argentina as well. I’d love to see both.

We use would to refer to typical habitual actions and events in the past. This is usually a formal use and it often occurs in stories (narratives):

I had a friend from Albany, which is about 36 miles away, and we would meet every Thursday morning and she would help us.

Then he would wash; then he would eat his toast; then he would read his paper by the bright burning fire of electric coals.

We use would to talk about the future in the past. The speaker looks forward in time from a point in the past (underlined below):

When I was young I thought that in years to come I would be really tall.

When I broke my leg, I thought I would never dance again.

We use would as the past form of will in reported clauses.

We use would to talk about willingness in past time situations. We usually use the negative form wouldn’t in this case:

The CD wasn’t working so I brought it back to the shop but they wouldn’t give me my money back because they said the box had already been opened.

We often use would with verbs such as advise, imagine, recommend, say, suggest, think to make what we say less direct.