English — Possibility: may / might / could
Use may, might and could to say that something is possible now or in the future, as in It may rain. They are followed by the bare infinitive and never change form.
How it works
Put may, might or could before the base verb for present or future possibility: It may rain later, She might call tonight, We could win the game. All three are close in meaning; might and could often sound slightly less certain than may.
Examples
| Form | Example | Use |
|---|---|---|
| may + verb | It may rain later. | Present or future possibility |
| might + verb | She might call tonight. | Possibility, often slightly less certain |
| could + verb | We could win the game. | One possible outcome among others |
| may / might not + verb | He might not come. | Negative possibility (perhaps not) |
| may / might be + -ing | They may be sleeping now. | Possibly in progress right now |
| may / might be + -ing (future) | I might be working tomorrow. | Possibly in progress at a future time |
Good to know
The negative of possibility is may not / might not — never mayn't. Do not confuse might not (perhaps not) with must not, which forbids: He might not come means maybe he won't, while He must not come means he is not allowed to. Note too that could not for possibility means impossibility (That could not be true), so use may / might not for simple negative guesses.