Explore the usage of 'may', 'might', and 'could' in expressing possibilities and making guesses about present and future events. Learn how to use these words in negative sentences and in questions to make your English sound more natural. Take a quiz to test your understanding.
May, might, and could followed by an infinitive verb without 'to' are used to talk about future possibilities.
May, might, and could with an infinitive can also be used to talk about present possibilities and make guesses.
Deep dives
Using may, might, and could for future possibilities
May, might, and could followed by an infinitive verb without 'to' are used to talk about future possibilities. For example, Catherine may make chicken curry, might have steak, or could get a takeaway for dinner tonight.
Using may, might, and could for present possibilities and making guesses
May, might, and could with an infinitive can also be used to talk about present possibilities and make guesses. Examples include saying that someone might prefer fish or could be at work. Additionally, when making guesses about a person's identity or role, we can use these words as well. For instance, someone may be from IT, or they might be the new presenter or the studio manager.