Question
28 June
- Russian
- Ukrainian
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English (US)
Question about English (US)
What is the difference between may, might and will ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between may, might and will ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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28 June
Featured answer
- English (US)
May and might can be very similar and nearly interchangeable. This is a really good article explaining the difference if you can understand it:
https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fict....
Essentially, may is slightly more probable while might is less probable (that something will happen). The English "will" actually comes from German as in "Ich will" if you are at all familiar. "Ich will" translates to "I want" and thus "will" may have a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy to it. Now, just to be clear, using "I will" in English doesn't necessarily have any indication of how much that person wants to do the thing-- that was just an explanation on where it comes from. Generally, "I will," although it is in the future, it is very concrete. "It will happen." There's little question. May and might are both much more unreliable. It might happen. It may happen.
Hopefully that helps!
Read more comments
- English (US)
May and might can be very similar and nearly interchangeable. This is a really good article explaining the difference if you can understand it:
https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fict....
Essentially, may is slightly more probable while might is less probable (that something will happen). The English "will" actually comes from German as in "Ich will" if you are at all familiar. "Ich will" translates to "I want" and thus "will" may have a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy to it. Now, just to be clear, using "I will" in English doesn't necessarily have any indication of how much that person wants to do the thing-- that was just an explanation on where it comes from. Generally, "I will," although it is in the future, it is very concrete. "It will happen." There's little question. May and might are both much more unreliable. It might happen. It may happen.
Hopefully that helps!
- Russian
- Ukrainian Near fluent
Both may and might can be used in requests and in expressions of possibility for the present and future.
Might I ask you your name?
The weather may/might be better tomorrow.
Craig may/might know his results soon.
We may/might go to the cinema tonight.
‘May I come with you?’ Nicky asked.
Nicky asked if she could come with them.
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