Sticking to the Indicative
When wrestling with a difficult translation, you will often need to guess the meaning of an obscure phrase. In Italian, expressing doubt or uncertainty usually triggers the subjunctive mood. However, simple adverbs of probability like forse (perhaps/maybe) and probabilmente (probably) let you skip the complex grammar and stick to the standard indicative mood.
| Maybe this interpretation is literal, even if it seems strange. | Forse quest'interpretazione è letterale, anche se sembra strana. |
| The translator is probably reading an obscure text. | Probabilmente il traduttore legge un testo oscuro. |
| Could you explain this figurative sense? Maybe the translator does not understand it. | Potresti spiegare questo senso figurato? Forse il traduttore non lo capisce. |
The Many Sides of "Magari"
| maybe, perhaps (often expressing a wish or desire) | magari |
The word magari is incredibly versatile in spoken Italian. You might already know it as an exclamation meaning "I wish!" or "If only!" (which requires the subjunctive). But when used simply as a casual synonym for forse to say "maybe" or "perhaps", it follows the exact same rules as the other probability adverbs: it takes the normal indicative mood.
| The reviewer must check the draft, perhaps there is a metaphorical meaning. | Il revisore deve controllare la bozza, magari c'è un significato metaforico. |
| Maybe the expression is archaic, so the reviewer does not understand it. | Magari l'espressione è arcaica, quindi il revisore non la capisce. |
| Maybe the translator is right, even if the metaphorical meaning is difficult. | Magari il traduttore ha ragione, anche se il significato metaforico è difficile. |
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