也许...也许...
Reach for 也许...也许... when you want to lay out two open possibilities side by side without committing to either — 'maybe ..., maybe ...' It's gentler than 'either ... or ...' because it doesn't promise the options are exhaustive; it just names two plausible futures. Common in wishful-thinking, soft predictions, and reflective speech: maybe prices will go down, maybe you'll have more choices.
Structure
也许 [POSSIBILITY 1]。也许 [POSSIBILITY 2]。
yěxǔ... yěxǔ...
How to Think About It
Each 也许 plants a flag on a different branch of the future. There's no commitment that you'll end up on either branch — the speaker is just pointing at two of them. That's why 也许...也许... feels musing, almost daydreamy. Replace with 不是...就是... and the tone flips to 'one of these two for sure'; replace with 可能...也可能... and the tone gets more analytical.
Examples
也许他会来,也许他不会来。
Yěxǔ tā huì lái, yěxǔ tā bú huì lái.
Maybe he'll come, maybe he won't.
也许明天会下雨,也许会晴天。
Yěxǔ míngtiān huì xià yǔ, yěxǔ huì qíngtiān.
Maybe it'll rain tomorrow, maybe it'll be sunny.
也许我以后会去日本,也许会去韩国。
Yěxǔ wǒ yǐhòu huì qù Rìběn, yěxǔ huì qù Hánguó.
Maybe I'll go to Japan later, maybe to Korea.
Common Mistake
Learners use 也许 once and then switch to 或者 for the second possibility. That breaks the parallel and reads as 'maybe X, or Y' instead of 'maybe X, maybe Y.' The pattern wants both halves to start with 也许.
也许明天会下雨,或者会晴天。
也许明天会下雨,也许会晴天。
Don't Confuse With
不是...就是...
不是...就是... claims one of the two is definitely true. 也许...也许... admits both could be wrong.
可能...可能...
Same shape, slightly more analytical / objective in tone. 也许 sounds more reflective; 可能 reads more like estimation.
或者...或者...
或者 lists alternatives ('either ... or ...'). 也许...也许... explicitly flags both as uncertain possibilities, not just a choice.
Practice
Fill in the blank: ___ 他会来,也许他不会来。
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也许
Fill in the blank: 也许明天会下雨,也许会 ___ 天。
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晴
Arrange: 不会来 / 来,/ 也许 / 他 / 也许 / 他 / 会 / 。
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也许他会来,也许他不会来。
Translate to Chinese: Maybe I'll go to Japan, maybe to Korea.
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也许我会去日本,也许会去韩国。
Write a sentence using 也许...也许... about two possible weekend plans.
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周末也许我会去爬山,也许就在家休息。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: