Breakdown of No estoy seguro, pero capaz que lleguen temprano.
pero
but
no
no, not
estar
to be (location/state)
temprano
early
llegar
to arrive
seguro
sure
capaz que
maybe / perhaps
Questions & Answers about No estoy seguro, pero capaz que lleguen temprano.
Why is lleguen in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative llegan?
The phrase capaz que expresses possibility, similar to tal vez or quizás. You can often use either the indicative or the subjunctive with it. Here, the subjunctive lleguen is used because the speaker just explicitly stated their strong doubt with No estoy seguro, making the subjunctive feel more natural to emphasize that uncertainty.
Is capaz que a standard way to say 'maybe' or 'might'?
Yes, it is extremely common in everyday Latin American Spanish, especially in the Southern Cone and the Andean region. In this context, it functions just like a lo mejor or tal vez to express a guess or possibility.
Does capaz need to be plural (capaces) since the verb lleguen refers to multiple people?
Could I drop the que and just say capaz lleguen temprano?
Yes, in casual speech across many parts of Latin America, it is very common to drop the que and just say capaz lleguen or capaz llegan. Both versions are perfectly fine and widely understood in conversational Spanish.
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