იქნებ

Maybe

Level 4Sounds Like ikneb

იქნებ means maybe, and the verb after it is usually in the optative.

How It Works

იქნებ (ikneb) means maybe or perhaps. It comes from იქნება (it will be), and the verb after it usually goes in the optative.

JobExample
A guess about laterიქნებ ხვალ მოვიდეს. (Maybe he'll come tomorrow.)
A guess about nowიქნებ სახლში იყოს. (Maybe she's at home.)
A suggestionიქნებ კინოში წავიდეთ? (How about going to the movies?)
A polite requestიქნებ დამეხმარო? (Could you help me?)

As a question, იქნებ is gentle: the other person can easily say no. That makes it useful for suggestions with the we-form of the optative, the same form as წავიდეთ (let's go).

Verbs that have no optative, such as ვიცი (I know), use their -დე- form here: იქნებ ლუკამ იცოდეს (maybe Luka knows).

Compare ალბათ (probably), which is surer and takes an ordinary verb: ალბათ სახლში არის (she's probably at home).

Examples (5)

  1. იქნებ ხვალ მოვიდეს.

    Maybe he'll come tomorrow.

    A guess, with the optative მოვიდეს.

  2. დაურეკე, იქნებ სახლში იყოს.

    Call her, maybe she's at home.

    იყოს is the optative of to be.

  3. იქნებ კინოში წავიდეთ?

    How about going to the movies?

    A soft suggestion with the we-form.

  4. იქნებ დამეხმარო?

    Could you maybe help me?

    A polite request.

  5. არ ვიცი, იქნებ ლუკამ იცოდეს.

    I don't know; maybe Luka knows.

    ვიცი has no optative, so it uses იცოდეს.

How It Connects

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იქნებLevel 4Maybe

Learn This First

Maybe takes the optative.

Words in This Pattern

იქნებ