Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Ella probablemente no venga hoy, porque está un poco enferma. - She probably won't come today, because she's a little sick.

Ella probablemente no venga hoy, porque está un poco enferma.

She probably won't come today, because she's a little sick.

Breakdown of Ella probablemente no venga hoy, porque está un poco enferma.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Spanish now

Questions & Answers about Ella probablemente no venga hoy, porque está un poco enferma.

Why is it venga and not viene or vendrá?

Venga is the present subjunctive of venir, while viene and vendrá are indicative forms.

In this sentence, probablemente expresses doubt / probability, not a simple fact. In Spanish, that often leads to the subjunctive:

Ella probablemente no venga hoy.
→ She probably won’t come today. (uncertain, just a prediction)

Compare:

Ella no viene hoy.
→ She isn’t coming today. (speaker sounds more sure, it’s treated like a fact)
Ella no vendrá hoy.
→ She will not come today. (future tense, sounds quite definite)

In practice:

Probablemente no venga = probable but uncertain (subjunctive)
Probablemente no viene = also possible; sounds a bit more like the speaker sees it as likely/factual

Both are heard in Latin America, but with probablemente, the subjunctive is very common and feels more “by the book.”

Could the sentence be Ella no probablemente venga hoy or Ella no venga probablemente hoy?

No, those word orders sound wrong or very unnatural.

The normal options are:

Ella probablemente no venga hoy. (given sentence)
Probablemente ella no venga hoy.
Probablemente no venga hoy. (dropping ella)

The key points:

No usually goes directly before the verb it negates:
- no venga, no viene, no vendrá, etc.
Adverbs like probablemente are more flexible, but the most natural spots here are:
- Before the subject or before no:
  - Probablemente ella no venga hoy.
  - Ella probablemente no venga hoy.

Something like Ella no probablemente venga hoy breaks the usual pattern of no + verb and sounds non‑native.

Can I drop ella and just say Probablemente no venga hoy?

Yes, absolutely. Spanish is a pro‑drop language, so subject pronouns are often omitted when context makes the subject clear.

Probablemente no venga hoy, porque está un poco enferma.

This would normally be understood as she (or occasionally he, depending on context). You can keep ella to:

start a new topic,
contrast with another person (Ella no venga, pero él sí viene),
or emphasize who you mean.

But grammatically, Probablemente no venga hoy is perfectly correct and very natural.

Why is it está un poco enferma and not es un poco enferma?

Because being sick here is seen as a temporary condition, not a permanent characteristic.

Estar is used for:
- temporary states and conditions: está cansada, está triste, está enferma
- location: está en casa
Ser is for:
- more permanent qualities: es alta, es simpática
- definitions, professions, origin, etc.

So:

Está un poco enferma = she is a bit sick right now.
Es enferma (much less common, and sounds strange out of context) would imply she is chronically ill or a sickly person by nature, not what is meant here.

Why is it enferma (with -a) and not enfermo or just enferme?

Enferma agrees with the gender of the subject ella (she).

Ella está enferma. (feminine singular)
Él está enfermo. (masculine singular)
Ellas están enfermas. (feminine plural)
Ellos están enfermos. (masculine / mixed plural)

Spanish adjectives usually agree in gender and number with the noun or pronoun they describe.

As for enferme: that would only appear in some discussions of inclusive or non‑binary language, and it’s not standard grammar in most Latin American Spanish classes. The standard forms you’ll see taught are enfermo / enferma.

What does un poco add to enferma? Is it the same as poco enferma?

Un poco softens the adjective and means “a little / a bit”:

Está enferma.
→ She is sick.
Está un poco enferma.
→ She is a bit sick / a little sick (not too serious or the speaker is downplaying it).

Without un, poco behaves more like “not very” or “hardly”, and sounds more negative:

Está poco enferma.
→ She is not very sick / hardly sick.
(Implies the illness is minimal, often used to contrast with what someone else said.)

So:

un poco enferma = mildly sick, somewhat sick
poco enferma = hardly sick (almost not sick)

In everyday speech, un poco enferma is much more common in this context.

Why is it porque and not por qué or porqué?

These four forms mean different things:

porque (one word, no accent)
- Means “because”
- Introduces a reason
- Used inside a sentence
- Example: No vino porque está enferma.
por qué (two words, accent on qué)
- Means “why”
- Used in questions (direct or indirect)
- Example: ¿Por qué no viene? / No sé por qué no viene.
porqué (one word, accent)
- A noun meaning “the reason”
- Often used with an article: el porqué
- Example: No entiendo el porqué de su decisión.
por que (less common, specific constructions)
- Combination of por
  - que, often after certain verbs or prepositions
- Not relevant in this sentence.

Here we’re giving a reason (because she is a bit sick), so porque is correct:

… no venga hoy, porque está un poco enferma.

Is the comma before porque necessary? Could I write it without a comma?

In Spanish, both with and without the comma are possible here, but they sound slightly different:

Ella probablemente no venga hoy porque está un poco enferma.
→ More neutral; the reason is closely attached to no venga hoy.
Ella probablemente no venga hoy, porque está un poco enferma.
→ The comma gives a slight pause and can make the explanation feel a bit more like an aside or extra comment.

In many everyday texts (emails, messages), people often omit the comma:

Ella probablemente no venga hoy porque está un poco enferma.

Your version with the comma is still correct; it just adds a small rhythmic pause in reading.

Why is the verb a present form (venga hoy) if we’re talking about something that will happen later today?

Spanish often uses the present tense (indicative or subjunctive) to talk about near future events, especially with time expressions like hoy, mañana, esta noche, etc.

Hoy no viene. = She’s not coming today.
Probablemente no venga hoy. = She probably won’t come today.

You can use future forms:

Probablemente no vendrá hoy.

But with verbs of movement / plans (venir, ir, salir, llegar, etc.), the present is extremely common for near-future events, and sounds very natural in conversation.

In this sentence, venga is present subjunctive, functioning as a kind of “present about the future” because the time reference (hoy) makes the future meaning clear.

Does probablemente always require the subjunctive?

Not always, but subjunctive is very common.

With adverbs of doubt/probability like probablemente, posiblemente, tal vez, quizá(s):

Both indicative and subjunctive are used in real life.
The choice can depend on:
- how certain the speaker feels,
- the dialect,
- how formal or careful the speech is.

Typical patterns:

Probablemente no venga hoy.
→ Subjunctive; sounds like a prediction, more “uncertain” or more formal/neutral.
Probablemente no viene hoy.
→ Indicative; also common, often sounds a bit more like the speaker sees it as likely or almost a fact.

In many textbooks and more formal or careful speech, the subjunctive after probablemente is encouraged, which is why you see no venga here.