se cadra
Maybe: Se Cadra
Se cadra means "maybe": Se cadra chove mañá (Maybe it will rain tomorrow). The verb after it stays in the indicative.
How It Works
Indicative only. Keep the tense you would use anyway:
- present: Se cadra ten razón (Perhaps she is right)
- present for a plan: Se cadra vou mañá (Maybe I will go tomorrow)
- future: Se cadra chegarán tarde (Maybe they will arrive late)
- preterite: Se cadra xa marcharon (Maybe they have already left)
Position. It usually opens the sentence, but it can also come at the end, after a comma: Iremos á praia o sábado, se cadra. On its own it is a short answer: Se cadra (Maybe), Se cadra si, se cadra non (Maybe yes, maybe no).
Synonyms. Ao mellor and igual mean the same and also take the indicative; the dictionary also records se callar. Quizais and talvez can take the subjunctive, and poida que always does.
Not "if". The se in se cadra does not mean "if"; the phrase is fixed. Compare se + present, where se introduces a condition. Write se, never si.
Examples (6)
- Se cadra chove mañá.
Maybe it will rain tomorrow.
Word by Word: Maybe rains tomorrow.
The present indicative can refer to the future.
- Se cadra ten razón.
Perhaps she is right.
Word by Word: Maybe has-she reason.
- Se cadra xa marcharon.
Maybe they have already left.
Word by Word: Maybe already left-they.
- Iremos á praia o sábado, se cadra.
We might go to the beach on Saturday.
Word by Word: Will-go-we to-the beach the Saturday, maybe.
Se cadra can also close the sentence.
- —Vés á festa? —Se cadra.
—Are you coming to the party? —Maybe.
Word by Word: —Come-you to-the party? —Maybe.
- Se cadra non é tan difícil como parece.
Maybe it is not as hard as it looks.
Word by Word: Maybe not is so difficult as seems.
Common Mistakes
Using the subjunctive after se cadra.
Se cadra chova mañá.Se cadra chove mañá.Se cadra is only used with the indicative, even though it means the same as quizais. With quizais, the subjunctive would be possible: Quizais chova mañá.
Writing si instead of se.
Si cadra teñen razón.Se cadra teñen razón.The phrase is se cadra. In Galician, si means "yes".
Related Patterns
- quizais / talvezPerhaps: Quizais and Talvez
Also mean "perhaps" but can take the subjunctive.
Level 4 - poida que + SubjunctiveMaybe: Poida Que
Another way to say "maybe", always with the subjunctive.
Level 4 - Future of Probability
The future tense can also express a guess: Estará na casa.
Level 4 - deber (de) + InfinitiveObligation and Probability with Deber
Deber de + infinitive expresses a guess: Debe de estar na casa.
Level 3 - se + PresentReal Conditions with Se
Here se means "if" and introduces a condition.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice se cadra in Bubblegum
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