expressing 'I might do something' in Japanese

Mar 15, 2013 15:47

I'd like to get correction/feedback on this. If I wanted to say 'Maybe i'll do something' or 'I might do something' do these convey different concepts in Japanese?

For example, if I want to say,

1. I might go to the library, is this right?

Watashi wa toshokan ni iku kamo shirenai. Now, does kamo shirenai as a set phrase imply the 'might'? So ( Read more... )

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akibare March 17 2013, 05:43:55 UTC
「行くかも知れない」(ikukamo sirenai)="it's not possible to know I go or not" so, I might go (but nuance is maybe you expect I won't go, but I let you know now maybe I will)
「行くでしょう」(ikudeshou)="very probably, (I) will go" "odds are as anyone sees it, (I) will go" as others put just putting でしょう (deshou) at the end of declarative sentence is more common for talking about other people or observations outside yourself, but technically it works
「行かないかも知れない」(ikanaikamosirenai)="it's not possible to know if I won't go, or not" so, I might go (but nuance is you expect I will go, but I let you know now maybe there's a possibility I won't)
「たぶん行くと思います」(tabun iku to omoimasu)="I think probably I will go" (if you use たぶん(tabun) maybe it's the most common way to talk about yourself?) the 「…と思います」(...to omoimasu) is important it makes it very different from でしょう (deshou) or similar because it shows your initiative

「たぶん行くでしょうか」(tabun iku deshouka) sounds odd to me (I can't say why) but 「たぶん行くでしょう」(tabun ikudeshou) sounds better and that would be about other people. I guess because たぶん (tabun) just means "odds are that" and so it's not about a question at all.

I can't do grammar... XD

ETA: oops, put transliteration in

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