一分钟英语

Maybe 和 may be 的意思一样吗？

内容简介

“Maybe” 和 “may be”，一个是副词，另一个是包含情态动词 “may” 和动词 “be” 的搭配。它们都有 “可能” 的意思，但两者的用法却不同。本期 “一分钟英语” 视频总结用来区分它们的方法。

文字稿

Hi, everyone! What's the difference between maybe and may be? Well, we are going to find out in this English In A Minute.

May is used to express possibility – usually not a very certain one. It's a modal verb, so it's always followed by a bare infinitive. The bare infinitive of 'be' is… be! Using the two together, we can make a sentence:

Don't call her. She may be at work.

Now – maybe is just one word. It's an adverb and it has a few uses.

Most commonly it means 'perhaps' or 'possibly'. In this case it's often the first word in the sentence:

Don't call her. Maybe she's at work.

However, put it in front of an amount to mean 'around' or 'approximately':

This video will be seen by maybe a million people.

Make it happen, people!

用法总结

1 “May be” 是情态动词 “may” 与动词 “be” 的原形 “be” 组合而成的搭配。“May be” 一起用在句子中，可以表不确定性。

Don't call her. She may be at work.

It may be the time to go now.

2 “Maybe” 是一个副词，它有不同的用法。常见用法一：当 “maybe” 表 “可能，也许” 时，常出现在句首。

Don't call her. Maybe she's at work.

Maybe I'll go now.

3 “Maybe” 的常见用法二：“maybe” 可以被用在一个数量前，表示 “大约”。

This video will be seen by maybe a million people.

I'll get there in maybe four hours.