Can You Use ‘Maybe’ and ‘Will’ Together?

Can You Use ‘Maybe’ and ‘Will’ Together?

This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Arslan in Kashmir. He asks:

Question:

Is it correct to use "may" and "will" in a single sentence like in "Maybe it will rain today"? The word "may" suggests a possibility while "will" shows certainty¹. Thank you. -Arslan, Kashmir

Answer:

Hello Arslan, this is a good question. Here is the answer:

The word "maybe" is an adverb that means possibly but not definitely. It expresses that an action has a chance of happening in the future, as in your example: "Maybe it will rain today."

"May" and "maybe" are closely connected but they are different parts of speech. The word "may" is a modal verb.

"Will" is also a modal verb. It expresses that something is expected to happen in the future.

You were right to question the use of two modal verbs together. For example, you would not want to say, "It may will rain today."

But again, "maybe" is an adverb, not a modal. So saying, "Maybe it will rain today" is totally acceptable². Another example that uses both "maybe" and "will" is "Maybe my friends will visit."

Keep in mind that using the modal "may" or "might" is a more common way to express these kinds of possibilities. For instance, you can say, "It may rain today" or "My friends might visit."

And lastly, there is another meaning of "will" that does express certainty. For example, if I say, "You will really enjoy this lesson," it shows that I feel sure of it.

And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.

Words in This Story

certainty - n. the state of feeling sure or not having any doubt about something

modal - n. a verb that is used with another verb to express ideas such as possibility, necessity, and permission

lesson - n. an activity that you do in order to learn something

1 certainty   

n.必然的事，确定的事实，确信，确实

参考例句：

• I can't say with any certainty where I shall be next week.我不能确切地说下周我在什么地方。
• I know for a certainty that the company has been bought up.我确实知道公司已经被人收购了。

2 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。