可能 (Possible / Maybe / Probably) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

English hands you a whole toolkit for the middle of the certainty scale — maybe, possibly, probably, might, plus the noun possibility and the adjective possible — and each is a different word. Chinese covers all of it with one chameleon: 可能 (kěnéng). The same two syllables lead a clause as an adverb ("probably / maybe"), sit in front of a modal to mean "might," and stand as a noun or adjective for "possibility / possible." That flexibility is a gift — one word to learn — but it hides a trap for English speakers, because 可能 is epistemic: it is about how likely you think something is, not about anyone's ability. Keep it away from the ability modal 能 (néng), match it to the middle rung of the certainty scale, and it becomes one of the most useful words you own.

可能 as an epistemic adverb: "probably / maybe"

Its everyday job is to stamp a guess onto a sentence. Like every Chinese adverb, it sits before the verb — or fronts the whole clause — but it never trails at the end the way English "maybe" can.

他可能忘了，我再提醒他一下。

tā kěnéng wàng le, wǒ zài tíxǐng tā yíxià

He probably forgot — I'll remind him again. (informal) — 可能 before the verb, marking a guess.

明天可能下雨，你带把伞吧。

míngtiān kěnéng xià yǔ, nǐ dài bǎ sǎn ba

It might rain tomorrow — bring an umbrella. (informal)

可能是我记错了，我再查一下。

kěnéng shì wǒ jì cuò le, wǒ zài chá yíxià

Maybe I remembered it wrong — let me check again. (informal) — 可能 fronting the whole clause.

It also slots in front of a modal: 可能会 ("might, is likely to"), 可能要 ("might have to"). Here 可能 supplies the uncertainty and the modal supplies the future or the necessity.

这么晚了，他可能已经睡了。

zhème wǎn le, tā kěnéng yǐjīng shuì le

It's so late — he's probably already asleep. (informal)

路上堵车，我可能会晚点儿到。

lùshang dǔchē, wǒ kěnéng huì wǎn diǎnr dào

There's traffic — I might arrive a bit late. (informal) — 可能 + 会 = 'might'.

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Where does 可能 sit on the scale? Right in the middle — "even odds, could go either way." If you are actually fairly sure, reach for 应该 (yīnggāi, "should") or 一定 (yídìng, "definitely") instead; defaulting to 可能 for every guess makes you sound permanently non-committal. Calibrate against the full certainty scale.

可能 as a noun and adjective: 有可能, 这是可能的

Here is the part that surprises English speakers: 可能 is not only an adverb. It is also a noun ("a possibility") and a predicate adjective ("possible") — jobs that pure hedging adverbs like 也许 (yěxǔ) can never take. This is why you meet it inside 有可能 ("there is a possibility → it's possible") and 没可能 ("no possibility → impossible").

这种情况完全有可能发生。

zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng wánquán yǒu kěnéng fāshēng

This kind of situation is entirely possible. (neutral) — 可能 as a noun inside 有可能.

从理论上说，这是可能的。

cóng lǐlùn shàng shuō, zhè shì kěnéng de

Theoretically, this is possible. (formal) — 可能 as a predicate adjective with 的.

成功的可能性还是很大的。

chénggōng de kěnéngxìng háishì hěn dà de

The likelihood of success is still high. (neutral) — the full noun form 可能性 'possibility'.

Notice 可能性 (kěnéngxìng): adding the abstract-noun suffix 性 gives you the countable, measurable "likelihood / probability" that you can describe as 大 (high) or 小 (low). English uses one word, possibility, for both the vague sense and the measurable one; Chinese keeps 可能 for the loose sense and 可能性 for the quantified one.

Negation: 不可能 is far stronger than 可能不

This is the single most important thing on the page, and it flips entirely on where 不 sits. Put 不 before 可能 and you negate the possibility itself — "impossible," a slammed door. Put 不 after 可能 (inside the guess) and you merely say the unlikely thing might happen — "possibly not."

Form	Pinyin	Force	Meaning
不可能	bù kěnéng	impossible (very strong)	它绝不会发生 — it flat-out won't happen
可能不	kěnéng bù	possibly not (a hedge)	它也许不会发生 — it maybe won't happen

他不可能不知道这件事。

tā bù kěnéng bù zhīdào zhè jiàn shì

There's no way he doesn't know about this. (neutral) — 不可能 = flat impossibility, here stacked with a second 不.

他可能不来了，我们先吃吧。

tā kěnéng bù lái le, wǒmen xiān chī ba

He might not be coming — let's start eating. (informal) — 可能不 = a soft 'possibly not'.

这绝对不可能，你一定是搞错了。

zhè juéduì bù kěnéng, nǐ yídìng shì gǎo cuò le

That's absolutely impossible — you must have got it wrong. (informal) — 不可能 as a standalone verdict.

Say 他不可能来 and you have declared his coming impossible; say 他可能不来 and you have only guessed he might skip it. English "he can't be coming" versus "he might not come" carries the same split, but the Chinese difference is just the position of one tiny word, so it is easy to swap by accident.

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Rule of thumb: 不 before 可能 kills the possibility (不可能 = "impossible"); 不 after it lives inside the guess (可能不 = "maybe not"). If you're reaching for a hard "there's no way," that's 不可能; if you mean a gentle "might not," keep the 不 on the right.

可能 (likelihood) vs 能 / 会 (ability, prediction)

English "can" and "may" both live near 可能, and that pulls learners into two classic mix-ups.

First, 可能 is not ability. "I can swim" reports a skill, so it needs 会 (huì) or 能 (néng), never 可能. 可能 would turn it into "it's possible that I swim," which is nonsense about a fixed skill.

我会游泳，但今天可能不下水。

wǒ huì yóuyǒng, dàn jīntiān kěnéng bú xiàshuǐ

I can swim, but today I probably won't get in the water. (informal) — 会 for the skill, 可能 for the guess.

Second, 可能 vs 会 for prediction. The modal 会 also forecasts the future ("it will / is bound to"), but with more confidence and a sense of natural tendency; 可能 flags genuine uncertainty. 明天会下雨 sounds like a firm forecast; 明天可能下雨 leaves it open.

天这么阴，等会儿可能会下雨。

tiān zhème yīn, děng huìr kěnéng huì xià yǔ

The sky's so overcast — it might rain in a bit. (informal) — 可能 (uncertain) + 会 (predicted future) together.

Common Mistakes

1. Using 可能 for an ability ("I can…"). 可能 is about likelihood, not skill. Use 会/能.

❌ 我可能游泳。

Incorrect for 'I can swim' — 可能 means 'it's possible'; the skill is 我会游泳.

✅ 我会游泳。

wǒ huì yóuyǒng

I can swim. — 会 for a learned skill.

2. Confusing 不可能 with 可能不. Meaning "he might not come" but saying the far stronger "it's impossible for him to come."

❌ 他不可能来。

Wrong if you mean 'he might not come' — this says 'it's impossible for him to come.'

✅ 他可能不来。

tā kěnéng bù lái

He might not come. — 不 stays after 可能 for a soft guess.

3. Parking 可能 at the end. English "maybe" can trail; the Chinese adverb must precede the verb or lead the clause.

❌ 他忘了可能。

Incorrect — 可能 cannot trail; say 他可能忘了.

✅ 他可能忘了。

tā kěnéng wàng le

He probably forgot. — 可能 before the verb.

4. Over-hedging with 可能 when you are actually fairly sure. If the evidence points clearly one way, upgrade to 应该 or 一定.

❌ 灯还亮着，他可能在家。

Under-committed — with the light on you're fairly sure, so 应该/一定 fits better.

✅ 灯还亮着，他应该在家。

dēng hái liàng zhe, tā yīnggāi zài jiā

The light's still on — he should be home. — 应该 for a reasoned, higher-confidence guess.

Key Takeaways

可能 (kěnéng) is the mid-scale likelihood word: "maybe / possibly / probably," roughly even odds.
One form, several jobs: adverb (可能 before the verb), before a modal (可能会 "might"), and noun / adjective (有可能, 这是可能的, 可能性 "likelihood").
Negation flips on position: 不可能 = "impossible" (very strong); 可能不 = "possibly not" (a soft hedge).
可能 is epistemic, not ability — say 会/能 for "can (do)," and let 可能 handle "it's likely."
Don't default to 可能 for every guess; when you are more sure, climb the certainty scale to 应该 or 一定, and for a hopeful "who knows" drop to 说不定.

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