Breakdown of Sin la certeza, capaz que la probabilidad de ganar es menor.
ser
to be
de
from / of
ganar
to win / to earn
menor
younger
sin
without
capaz que
maybe / perhaps
la probabilidad
the probability
la certeza
the certainty
Questions & Answers about Sin la certeza, capaz que la probabilidad de ganar es menor.
I know capaz means "capable." How does capaz que translate to "maybe"?
In many parts of Latin America, capaz or capaz que is used colloquially to mean "maybe," "perhaps," or "it's likely." It functions just like a lo mejor or tal vez. In this context, it isn't talking about anyone's literal ability to do something, but rather the likelihood of an event occurring.
Since capaz que expresses doubt, why is the verb es in the indicative rather than the subjunctive (sea)?
Colloquially, capaz que can take either the indicative or the subjunctive. Using the indicative (es) presents the outcome as a very real, logical consequence or a strong hypothesis in the speaker's mind. If the speaker wanted to express more uncertainty or frame it as a wilder guess, they would use the subjunctive (sea).
Could I say más baja instead of menor?
Yes, la probabilidad es más baja is grammatically correct and perfectly understood. However, menor is the standard comparative word used for abstract sizes, amounts, rates, and degrees (like probabilities or risks). It translates neatly to "lower" or "lesser" and sounds very natural in this sentence.
Why do we use the infinitive ganar here instead of a conjugated verb?
Because the statement is talking about winning in a general sense. When a noun is connected to an action by the preposition de (like la probabilidad de), you use the infinitive. If you needed to specify exactly who was winning, you would add que and conjugate the verb, as in la probabilidad de que ganemos (the probability that we win).
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