wǒ kěnéng méiyǒu shíjiān qù.

I might not have time to go.

Breakdown of wǒ kěnéng méiyǒu shíjiān qù.

• 我wǒ: I
• 有yǒu: to have
• 没méi: not
• 去qù: to go
• 可能kěnéng: possibly
• 时间shíjiān: time

Questions & Answers about wǒ kěnéng méiyǒu shíjiān qù.

Why is it 没(有) and not 不 to negate 有 in this sentence?

• In Mandarin, 有 is negated with 没(有), not 不.
• So you say 没有时间/没时间, not 不有时间.
• 没时间 is just a shorter, very common form of 没有时间; both mean the same here.

Can 可能 go somewhere else in the sentence?

• The default, most natural placement is before the predicate: 我可能没有时间去.
• You can also put it at the start: 可能我没有时间去 (slightly more speaker‑stance/overall-judgment feel).
• Avoid splitting it oddly, e.g., 我没有时间可能去 is unnatural.

What exactly does the final 去 mean if there’s no place or activity after it? Can 去 stand alone?

• Yes. This uses the pattern 没有时间 + VP, where the VP is 去 + [understood place/activity].
• Context fills in what you’re going to do or where you’re going:
  
  • 没有时间去那儿/去参加会议/去看电影.
• If the context is clear, ending with 去 is fine: 我可能没有时间去 = “I might not have time to go (there/do that).”

Is there a difference between 没有时间 and 没时间?

• Meaning: the same.
• Style: 没时间 is more colloquial/compact; 没有时间 is a bit fuller or more formal.
• Both are very common; learners can use either.

How certain is 可能? How does it compare to words like 也许, 大概, and 会?

• 可能: neutral “might/may,” leaving real uncertainty.
• 也许: “perhaps,” often a touch more tentative; often placed at the start: 也许我…
• 大概: “probably/roughly,” can sound a bit more likely in everyday speech: 我大概没时间去.
• 会: predictive “will/likely to,” e.g., 我可能不会有时间去 = “I might not have time (won’t likely have).”
• They overlap; prosody/context decides the exact feel.

Does this sentence refer to the future even without a future tense marker?

• Yes. Chinese relies on context for time reference.
• 我可能没有时间去 usually means a future situation.
• To make the futurity explicit, you can add 会: 我可能不会有时间去.

Could I say 我可能去不了 or 我可能不能去 instead? What’s the nuance?

• 我可能去不了: uses the potential complement 不了; sounds like “might not be able to make it (due to circumstances like time/traffic).”
• 我可能不能去: “might not be able/allowed to go” (can imply permission/ability/conditions).
• 我可能没有时间去: explicitly gives the reason (time).
• All are valid; choose based on what you want to emphasize.

Why not use 时候 instead of 时间?

• 时间 = time as a resource/duration (having time).
• 时候 = a point/period in time (“when”).
• Saying you don’t have time uses 时间: 没有时间.
• 时候 would fit patterns like 我没有时间的时候… (“when I don’t have time…”), which is different.

How would I specify “there” or the activity?

• Add a place: 我可能没有时间去那儿/去你那儿/去公司.
• Add an activity: 我可能没有时间去参加会议/去看电影/去练习.
• For direction nuances:
  
  • 去 = go (away from the speaker).
  • 过去 = go over (to that side).
  • 过来/来 = come (toward the speaker).

Is there a more colloquial way to say “no time”?

• Yes: 没空 or 没空儿 (méi kòng/kòngr).
• Example: 我可能没空去.
• 没空 is very common in speech.

Can I add a softening word to make this sound more polite when declining an invite?

• Common softenings: 恐怕 (I’m afraid), 不好意思 (sorry), sentence-final 啊/吧.
• Examples:
  
  • 恐怕我没有时间去。
  • 不好意思，我可能没有时间去。
  • 我可能没有时间去啊/吧。

Could I say 有可能我没有时间去? Is there a difference from 可能?

• 有可能我没有时间去 is fine and natural.
• 有可能 is a bit more explicit/weighty as a noun phrase “there is a possibility that…,” but in everyday speech 可能 and 有可能 often overlap in meaning.

How do I ask the corresponding question, like “Will you have time to go?”

• Use the same pattern with a question particle: 你有时间去吗？
• Or a yes/no A-not-A pattern with 有: 你有没有时间去？
• To add uncertainty: 你可能有时间去吗？ (less common; usually just ask directly.)

What about tones and tone sandhi when pronouncing the whole sentence?

• Base tones: 我(wǒ-3) 可能(kě-3, néng-2) 没有(méi-2, yǒu-3) 时间(shí-2, jiān-1) 去(qù-4).
• Third-tone sandhi: wǒ (3) before kě (3) becomes rising, so you’ll say it like wó kě…
• Keep speech smooth; don’t over-articulate each tone in isolation.

Can I add 了 to mean “anymore,” like “I probably don’t have time to go anymore”?

• Yes, sentence-final 了 can mark a change of state: 我可能没有时间去了 = “I probably don’t have time to go anymore (now).”
• Without 了, it’s a neutral statement about (likely) lack of time.

Why not say 我可能没有去时间 like in English “time to go”?

• In Chinese the pattern is 有/没有时间 + VP. The verb phrase follows 时间.
• So you say 没有时间去…, not 没有去时间.
• Think: “have time to [do X]” = 有时间 + [VP].

If I want to emphasize the duration, how can I say it?

• Add a measure or duration phrase:
  
  • 我可能没有时间去一趟。 (no time to make a trip)
  • 我可能没有时间去很久/去待太久。
  • Or specify slots: 我明天上午可能没有时间去。