Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Probablemente hoy terminemos el proyecto, pero no estoy muy seguro. - We will probably finish the project today, but I’m not very sure.

Probablemente hoy terminemos el proyecto ≈ We will probably finish the project today (but it's clearly not certain).
Probablemente hoy terminaremos el proyecto sounds more confident, closer to We’ll probably finish today with a stronger expectation it will happen.

Using the subjunctive (terminemos) emphasizes doubt or uncertainty.
Using the future indicative (terminaremos) presents it more as an expected outcome, even if not 100% guaranteed.

Is the subjunctive obligatory after probablemente?

No, it isn’t obligatory, but it’s very common and often preferred when probablemente comes before the verb.

With subjunctive:
- Probablemente hoy terminemos el proyecto.
  → More neutral or slightly more cautious: it may or may not happen.
With indicative:
- Probablemente hoy terminaremos el proyecto.
  → Sounds more confident: you think it’s quite likely.

In practice, both are used in Spain. The subjunctive leans more towards this is uncertain; the indicative leans towards this is likely.

What exactly is the form terminemos (tense and mood), and how is it formed?

Terminemos is:

Person & number: 1st person plural (we)
Tense: present
Mood: subjunctive

It comes from terminar:

Present indicative: terminamos (we finish / we are finishing)
Present subjunctive: terminemos (that we finish, may we finish, etc.)

To form the present subjunctive of most -ar verbs like terminar:

Take the yo form of the present indicative: termino
Drop the -o → termin-
Add subjunctive endings:
- yo: termine
- tú: termines
- él/ella/usted: termine
- nosotros: terminemos
- vosotros: terminéis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: terminen

Could I say Hoy probablemente terminemos el proyecto or Terminemos probablemente hoy el proyecto? Does word order matter?

Word order is flexible, but some options sound more natural than others.

Very natural in Spain:

Probablemente hoy terminemos el proyecto.
Hoy probablemente terminemos el proyecto.

Also natural:

Probablemente terminemos el proyecto hoy.

Less natural / more marked:

Terminemos probablemente hoy el proyecto.
This sounds a bit awkward; you normally wouldn’t insert probablemente between the verb and hoy in this sentence.

So, you can move probablemente and hoy, but keep them near the verb and avoid overly “broken” word orders.

Why is there no subject pronoun like nosotros? Could I say Probablemente hoy nosotros terminemos el proyecto?

Spanish usually omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject.

Terminemos already tells us it’s “we” (1st person plural).

You can say nosotros:

Probablemente hoy nosotros terminemos el proyecto.

But in normal speech this is only used to:

add contrast:
- Probablemente hoy nosotros terminemos el proyecto, pero ellos no.
or to emphasize who is doing it.

In a neutral sentence like yours, leaving out “nosotros” is more natural.

Why do we say el proyecto and not just proyecto?

In Spanish, you usually use the definite article (el, la, los, las) when you’re talking about a specific, known thing.

Here, el proyecto means that particular project you and the listener already know about.

Terminemos el proyecto = We finish the project (the one we are working on).
Saying just terminemos proyecto is ungrammatical in this context.

You typically omit the article only in some fixed expressions (e.g. tener hambre, estudiar medicina) or with certain kinds of nouns, not with a specific countable noun like proyecto.

What’s the difference between no estoy muy seguro and just no estoy seguro?

No estoy seguro = I’m not sure.
→ A plain statement of insecurity.
No estoy muy seguro = I’m not very sure / I’m not too sure.
→ Softer, less absolute: you have some doubt, but you might still think it’s quite possible.

So muy here tones it down a bit, making it sound less categorical and more polite or tentative.

Why is it muy seguro and not mucho seguro or tan seguro?

Because of how muy, mucho, and tan are used:

muy
- adjective/adverb
  - muy seguro, muy alto, muy bien
mucho
- noun or some verbs
  - mucho trabajo, mucha gente, trabajar mucho
tan
- adjective/adverb (usually in comparisons)
  - tan seguro, tan alto, tan bien (often with como: tan seguro como tú)

So:

muy seguro = very sure (correct here)
mucho seguro = incorrect
tan seguro would mean so sure:
- No estoy tan seguro. = I’m not so sure.
  Different nuance, more comparative.

If the speaker is a woman, does seguro change?

Yes. Seguro agrees in gender with the subject:

A man: No estoy muy seguro.
A woman: No estoy muy segura.

Plural:

Group of men or mixed group: No estamos muy seguros.
Group of women: No estamos muy seguras.

Could I say Probablemente hoy terminemos el proyecto, aunque no estoy muy seguro instead of using pero?

Yes, you can, but there’s a nuance difference:

pero: simple contrast
- Probablemente hoy terminemos el proyecto, pero no estoy muy seguro.
  → We’ll probably finish today, but I’m not very sure.
aunque: even though / although, often presenting the second part as a concession.
- Probablemente hoy terminemos el proyecto, aunque no estoy muy seguro.
  → We’ll probably finish today, although I’m not very sure.

Both are correct. Pero is more straightforward contrast; aunque feels slightly more formal or “written” and frames the doubt as something that doesn’t completely cancel the first statement.

Why is the verb estar in the present (no estoy muy seguro) and not in the future, like no estaré muy seguro?

Spanish normally uses the present of estar for current mental or emotional states, even when talking about the future:

No estoy muy seguro (de que vaya a pasar).
= Right now, I’m not very sure (that it will happen).

No estaré muy seguro sounds unusual here. The future of estar is used more for:

assumptions about someone’s current state:
- Estará cansado. = He’s probably tired.
or about how sure you will be later, in another moment:
- Cuando lleguemos, no estaré muy seguro de qué hacer.
  = When we arrive, I won’t be very sure what to do.

In your sentence, the idea is your present level of certainty, so estoy is the natural choice.

Could I put the second part first: No estoy muy seguro, pero probablemente hoy terminemos el proyecto?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct and natural:

No estoy muy seguro, pero probablemente hoy terminemos el proyecto.

Changing the order slightly shifts the emphasis:

Original: First you state what will probably happen; then you add your doubt.
New order: First you highlight your doubt; then you offer the probable outcome.

Grammatically, both are fine in Spain, with the same comma and pero.

Is the comma before pero necessary in Spanish?

Yes, in this kind of sentence it’s standard and recommended to use a comma before “pero”:

Probablemente hoy terminemos el proyecto, pero no estoy muy seguro.

Pero introduces a contrasting clause, and Spanish punctuation normally separates it with a comma, much like in English.