～かもしれません・～かもしれない: The "Might/Maybe"s of Japanese Language
apprentice #18
~ 5 Minutes
Introduction
Hey! I think you'll like this lesson... maybe.
Yeah, you'll definitely like it!... maybe.
Haha, you're awesome, let's have a fun time learning Japanese!... maybe.
Today we'll talk about かもしれない, the big "maybe" of Japanese. Nice.
This lesson might be cool as heck
Structure
Casual form verb/Casual form い-adjective/な-adjective/nounかもしれない
Example:
→ それはケーキかもしれない。
”That might be cake.”
かもしれない can mean "might", "maybe", or "probably" depending on the context, and expresses about a 40-60% probability (although this number changes depending on who you ask).
Extra grammar nerd info!
かもしれない is technically a combination of the words 「かも」 and 「しれない」. You might notice that しれない looks a lot like the potential form of the verb 知る... in fact, it is! And かも is simply a particle that means "maybe". So when you say かもしれない what you're really saying (in a very literal sense) is "maybe, it's not possible to know".
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Homework (Grammar SRS)
Completing this lesson will add these Grammar SRS items to your main Grammar Study List