Questions & Answers about Может быть, завтра.
Since we are learning about 'мочь' (can), does 'может быть' literally mean 'it can be'?
Yes! Может is the 'he/she/it' form of the verb мочь (can), and быть is the infinitive 'to be'. Together they literally mean 'it can be', which is exactly how Russians say 'maybe' or 'perhaps'.
Does the phrase 'может быть' change if I'm talking about different people or multiple things?
No. When used to mean 'maybe', может быть acts as a fixed, frozen phrase. You do not need to conjugate может to match the subject of your sentence; it always stays exactly like this.
Why is there a comma after 'Может быть'?
In Russian, introductory words that express the speaker's attitude or uncertainty—like может быть (maybe) or конечно (of course)—are almost always separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma.
Why does the в in завтра sound like an 'f' instead of a 'v'?
In Russian, voiced consonants like в (v) become 'devoiced' when they are right in front of a voiceless consonant. Since the letter т (t) is voiceless, it forces the в to sound like an 'f'. You pronounce it as 'zaf-tra'.
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