Breakdown of Capaz que piensan que es una coincidencia.
ser
to be
un
a, an (masculine)
pensar
to think / to plan
que
that / than
capaz que
maybe / perhaps
la coincidencia
the coincidence
Questions & Answers about Capaz que piensan que es una coincidencia.
Wait, 'capaz' usually means 'capable'. How does it mean 'might' here?
Why is piensan in the indicative here? Shouldn't phrases expressing doubt trigger the subjunctive?
It can take either! In many parts of Latin America, capaz que is used similarly to a lo mejor and is frequently followed by the indicative to express a strong possibility or a conversational 'maybe'. Using the subjunctive (capaz que piensen) is also grammatically correct and would just inject a slightly higher degree of doubt.
Since the sentence expresses doubt ('They might think...'), shouldn't the second verb, es, be in the subjunctive (sea)?
No, because the verb es is governed by piensan, not by capaz que. Affirmative verbs of thought and communication (like pensar, creer, decir) are always followed by the indicative. The doubt from capaz que only applies to whether or not they think it, it doesn't bleed into the next clause.
Is it okay to have que twice so close together (Capaz que piensan que...)?
Yes, it is completely natural and grammatically required here. The first que is part of the fixed phrase capaz que. The second que translates to 'that' (as in 'think that it is'). While English speakers often drop the second 'that', you cannot omit it in Spanish.
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