може да + Verb

Possibility with Може Да

Level 2Sounds Like može da

Може да + verb means may or might: Може да вали. (It might rain.) Може never changes; the verb after да shows the person.

How It Works

1. The form. Може да + a present-tense verb in any person:

  • Може да закъснея. (I might be late.)
  • Може да си прав. (You may be right.)
  • Може да вали. (It may rain.)

2. Possibility or ability? Compare Може да дойдем (We might come) with Можем да дойдем (We can come). For he or she the two look the same, because той може is also the normal form of мога: Той може да плува usually means "He can swim". When може opens the sentence with no subject before it, it usually means possibility: Може да е болен. (He may be ill.)

3. Where не goes. The place of не changes the meaning:

  • Може да не дойде. (He might not come.)
  • Не може да дойде. (He can't come.)

4. A possible past event. Use the perfect after да: Може да е забравил. (He may have forgotten.) See the present perfect.

5. Related words. Може би (maybe) is an adverb and needs no да: Може би ще вали. (Maybe it will rain.) See expressing probability. To ask for permission, use може ли.

Examples (6)

  1. Може да вали довечера.

    It may rain tonight.

  2. Може да е вкъщи.

    He might be at home.

    Е can mean he, she or it is; context tells you who.

  3. Може да закъснеем малко.

    We might be a little late.

    Може stays the same; закъснеем shows the subject is we.

  4. Може да не успея да дойда.

    I might not manage to come.

    Не comes after може да, so the possibility itself is negative.

  5. Може да е забравил за срещата.

    He may have forgotten about the meeting.

    The perfect е забравил shows that the possible event is already in the past.

  6. Вземи чадър, може да завали.

    Take an umbrella; it might start raining.

Common Mistakes

  • Conjugating може when you mean might.

    Можеш да си прав.
    Може да си прав.

    To say "You may be right", keep може unchanged. Можеш да is about ability ("you are able to"), which is not the intended meaning.

  • Putting не in the wrong place.

    Не може да дойде.
    Може да не дойде.

    To say "He might not come", put не after може да. Не може да дойде means "He can't come", which is a different meaning.

  • Adding ще after да.

    Може да ще вали.
    Може да вали.

    Да and ще do not combine. The present tense after може да already refers to the future.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

може да + VerbLevel 2Possibility with Може Да

Learn This First

Possibility with може да builds on мога да.

Words in This Pattern

можемога