Breakdown of Das dauert unter Umständen länger.
lang
long
dauern
to last / to take (time)
unter Umständen
possibly, in some circumstances
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Questions & Answers about Das dauert unter Umständen länger.
How does unter Umständen translate to "may possibly"?
Literally, unter Umständen means "under circumstances". In German, it is a very common fixed expression that means "under certain circumstances", "possibly", or "potentially".
Why is there no German word for "may" or "might" in this sentence?
English often uses helping verbs like "may" or "might" to show that something is just a possibility. German frequently expresses this instead by using a normal present tense verb (dauert) combined with a phrase like unter Umständen to show the uncertainty.
Can I just use vielleicht instead of unter Umständen here?
Yes, Das dauert vielleicht länger is perfectly correct and means almost the same thing. However, unter Umständen sounds a bit more formal and emphasizes that specific conditions or outside factors might cause the delay.
Why use dauert instead of a translation of "takes"?
In English, we say that a process "takes" time, but in German, you cannot use nehmen (to take) for this. You must use the verb dauern, which means "to last". The literal structure is closer to "That lasts possibly longer."