Breakdown of Dieser Apparat dürfte gefährlich sein.
sein
to be
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
dürfen
to be allowed to, may
gefährlich
dangerous
der Apparat
the apparatus
Questions & Answers about Dieser Apparat dürfte gefährlich sein.
Wait, doesn't dürfen mean "to be allowed to"? Why does the translation say "probably"?
You're exactly right that the basic, objective meaning of dürfen is "to be allowed to." However, in this sentence, it is used in its subjective sense to express an assumption. When used this way in the Konjunktiv II form (dürfte), it loses the meaning of permission and instead translates to "is probably" or "is highly likely to be."
How certain are we that the apparatus is dangerous when using dürfte?
The verb dürfte expresses a very strong probability, usually around 75 to 90 percent certainty. It is stronger than könnte (could be / might be), but just slightly less certain than müsste (ought to be / must be). You use dürfte when you have good reason to believe the apparatus is dangerous, even if you lack absolute proof.
Why do we use the Konjunktiv II form (dürfte) here instead of the present tense darf?
To express probability, dürfen is almost exclusively used in the Konjunktiv II form (dürfte). If you used the standard present tense darf here (Dieser Apparat darf gefährlich sein), it would revert to its literal meaning of permission: "This apparatus is allowed to be dangerous," which sounds nonsensical in this context!
Could I just use an adverb like wahrscheinlich instead of this tricky modal verb?
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