可能 + Verb / 会 + Verb
Reach for 可能 or 会 when you want to talk about something that might or will happen — weather, plans, predictions, guesses. 可能 leans toward 'maybe / it's possible'; 会 leans toward 'will / likely.' Both sit before the verb. Use them for forecasts ('it might rain'), predictions about behavior ('he'll probably be late'), and tentative plans ('I might go tomorrow'). Everyday register, essential for any future-leaning conversation.
Structure
Subject + 可能 / 会 + Verb Phrase
kě néng / huì
How to Think About It
Think of these on a confidence scale. 可能 is the 'maybe' end — speaker isn't sure. 会 is the 'I expect this' end — speaker has reason to believe it will happen. They can stack: 可能会下雨 = 'it might (maybe will) rain,' softening 会 even further. Neither is past-tense — to talk about something that already happened, switch to 可能 + Verb + 了 or use other constructions.
Examples
明天可能下雨，你带伞吧。
Míng tiān kě néng xià yǔ, nǐ dài sǎn ba.
It might rain tomorrow — bring an umbrella.
他今天会迟到，路上堵车。
Tā jīn tiān huì chí dào, lù shàng dǔ chē.
He'll probably be late today — there's traffic.
我可能会去北京工作。
Wǒ kě néng huì qù Běi jīng gōng zuò.
I might go work in Beijing.
这个问题不容易，可能要花几天才能解决。
Zhè ge wèn tí bù róng yì, kě néng yào huā jǐ tiān cái néng jiě jué.
This problem isn't easy — it might take a few days to solve.
Common Mistake
Learners use 会 for any future event and turn it into 'will' the way English does. 会 implies likelihood or expectation, not neutral future. For straightforward plans, use 要 or just state the action with a time word.
明天我会去图书馆。
明天我要去图书馆。
Don't Confuse With
会 (learned ability)
会 also means 'know how to' (会说中文 = know Chinese). Context separates the two: 会 + skill-verb = ability; 会 + future event = likelihood. The pattern looks identical but the meaning depends on what comes after.
要 + Verb
要 expresses a plan or intention ('going to'). Use 要 when you've decided. Use 会 / 可能 when you're predicting or guessing.
也许 + Verb
也许 means 'perhaps' and sits at the start of the clause. Close to 可能 but slightly more literary. 可能 can be a noun ('possibility') too; 也许 is purely adverbial.
Practice
Fill in: 看天气，今天下午____下雨。
Show answer
可能
Fill in: 他没复习，明天的考试他____考不好。
Show answer
可能/会
Translate to Chinese: She might come tonight, but she's not sure yet.
Show answer
她今天晚上可能会来，但是还不确定。
Use 可能 or 会 to make a guess about tomorrow's weather or plans.
Show answer
明天可能会很冷，记得穿厚一点。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 可能 + Verb / 会 + Verb in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
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