हो सकता है कि

It May Be That

Level 4Sounds Like hō sakatā hai ki

हो सकता है कि means maybe or it may be that.

How It Works

हो सकता है कि introduces something that might be true or might happen. Since it is only a possibility, its verb is in the subjunctive, the form for wishes and possibilities: हो सकता है कि आज शाम को बारिश हो। (It may rain this evening.)

हो सकता है does not change for person or gender. It stays masculine singular whoever the sentence is about: हो सकता है कि रीमा आए, हो सकता है कि बच्चे सो जाएँ. Only the verb after कि agrees.

In speech कि is often left out: हो सकता है वह न आए. On its own, हो सकता है is a short reply: Could be.

For something that may already have happened, use the past form plus हो: हो सकता है कि उसने तुम्हारा मैसेज न देखा हो (She may not have seen your message). To make the possibility negative, the usual word is न.

Keep this apart from a noun plus हो सकती है. In बारिश हो सकती है (It might rain), बारिश is the subject, so the verb agrees with it. Before a कि clause there is no such subject, so it is always हो सकता है.

शायद also means perhaps. हो सकता है is very common in conversation and sounds a little more open.

Examples (4)

  1. हो सकता है कि आज शाम को बारिश हो।

    It may rain this evening.

    हो is the subjunctive of होना.

  2. हो सकता है वह न आए, उसकी तबीयत ठीक नहीं है।

    He may not come; he isn't feeling well.

    कि is left out, as often happens in speech.

  3. हो सकता है कि उसने तुम्हारा मैसेज न देखा हो।

    She may not have seen your message.

    The past form plus हो gives may have.

  4. हो सकता है कि मुझे थोड़ी देर हो जाए।

    I might be a little late.

    हो जाए is subjunctive; मुझे देर होना means for me to be late.

Common Mistakes

  • Changing हो सकता है to agree with the person.

    हो सकती है कि रीमा कल आए।
    हो सकता है कि रीमा कल आए।

    Before a कि clause, हो सकता है always stays masculine singular. Only the verb inside the clause, आए, refers to Reema.

How It Connects

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

हो सकता है किLevel 4It May Be That

Learn This First

Maybe uses सकना, a कि clause and the subjunctive.

Words in This Pattern

सकनाहोनाकि