Expressing hunches with "capaz que"
In everyday Latin American Spanish, capaz que is a colloquial way to say "maybe," "might," or "it's likely that." We use it to express epistemic doubt—showing how certain or uncertain we are about a fact or outcome.
High certainty and strong hunches (Indicative)
When you have a strong hunch or a gut feeling that something is true, follow capaz que with the indicative. This signals that you believe the outcome is highly probable or almost a fact.
| hunch / gut feeling | la corazonada |
| I have a hunch; they might be right. | Tengo una corazonada; capaz que tienen razón. |
| He might have the same presentiment. | Capaz que él tiene el mismo presentimiento. |
More doubt and hypotheticals (Subjunctive)
If you want to express more doubt, or if the situation feels more hypothetical, follow capaz que with the subjunctive. This slightly lowers your declared level of certainty compared to the indicative.
| I have a hunch: it might start to rain. | Tengo una corazonada: capaz que empiece a llover. |
| I am not sure, but they might arrive early. | No estoy seguro, pero capaz que lleguen temprano. |
| It might be a simple coincidence. | Capaz que sea una simple coincidencia. |
Fine-tuning your certainty
Because both moods are grammatically correct with capaz que, choosing between the indicative and the subjunctive allows you to fine-tune your exact level of certainty. Notice how the mood shifts in the examples below depending on the speaker's confidence in the outcome.
| She might guess correctly, even though she does not study. | Capaz que ella acierta, y eso que no estudia. |
| I might not guess the correct answer. | Capaz que no acierte la respuesta correcta. |
| Maybe she will come; the probability is high, but I do not have the certainty. | Capaz que ella venga; la probabilidad es alta, pero no tengo la certeza. |