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Could you explain Damian's use of "would" when he answers a someone's question in the following? I can't understand the meaning.

Dwi: What does "emphatic" means in this sentence?

An emphatic kick from the Lepzig man, who thumps his kick right-footed and into the net to the left of goal.

Damian: "Emphatic" in this example means to hit the ball with real force (very hard indeed). An "emphatic finish" would be a goal scored with a hard shot. An "emphatic win" would be a very good win when one team has easily defeated the other team (maybe by a big score).

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    Damian gives examples that don't exist, but they might exist in the future. An "emphatic finish" would be [if it ever happens at all] a goal scored with a hard shot."
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Oct 26, 2023 at 13:37
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    I think "would" implies "a polite expression of an opinion".
    – Sam
    Commented Oct 26, 2023 at 14:17
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    Does this answer your question? "Would have + past participle" construction can be used to express speculation about the past?
    – Lambie
    Commented Oct 26, 2023 at 14:34
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    Only the slightest of differences. Another paraphrase that may further illustrate the sense of the expression (and what the would is doing) is, “I would use the term ‘an emphatic finish’ to describe a goal scored with a hard shot.”
    – Paul Tanenbaum
    Commented Oct 26, 2023 at 15:23
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    @gotube answer explains it. Would has variable meaning.
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Oct 26, 2023 at 18:18

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One function of "would" is to indicate hypothetical or otherwise unreal situations in the present or future.

In your context, "would" is used to indicate an hypothetical goal and an hypothetical win. They could be reworded like this in the so-called "second conditional", which you're hopefully familiar with:

If there was a goal described as "an emphatic finish", it would be one scored with a hard shot.

If there was a win described as "emphatic", it would be a very good win when one team has easily defeated the other team (maybe by a big score)

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