{"id":6756,"date":"2021-02-17T06:45:22","date_gmt":"2021-02-17T06:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/?p=6756"},"modified":"2021-05-25T11:23:04","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T11:23:04","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-may-and-might","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/what-is-the-difference-between-may-and-might\/","title":{"rendered":"May and might what is the difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>May and might what is the difference?<\/h1>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"margin-bottom: 2rem; margin-top: 2rem; background: #f4f4f4;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #fff; background: #ff6868;\">\u00cdNDICE DE CONTENIDOS<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#possibility\">May and Might in expressing the possibility<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#might\">Might is May&#8217;s past tense<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#use\">Can we use Might \/ May Have interchangeably?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#asking\">When asking for permission<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#summary\">In summary<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>The two words may (pueden) and might (pueden) are often confusing<\/strong>\u00a0in English, and many writers are not sure when to use one or the other.\u00a0Many people use them interchangeably, especially when they are speaking, but is there really no difference between the two words?<\/p>\n<p>Today\u00a0<strong>we propose to clear up any confusion between these two words<\/strong>\u00a0and to raise the unique characteristics of each one of them.\u00a0We&#8217;ll cover its functions within the sentence, the grammar behind each word, and we&#8217;ll put examples so you never mix them up again.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"possibility\">May and Might in expressing the possibility<\/h2>\n<p>In popular usage and speech,\u00a0<em>may<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>might<\/em>\u00a0are used interchangeably when referring to possibility and probability, but there is a slight difference between the two.<\/p>\n<h4><em>May<\/em>\u00a0is used to express what is possible, factual, or could be factual.\u00a0For example:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><em>He may lose his job<\/em>. (Puede perder su trabajo).<\/li>\n<li><em>We may go on vacation<\/em>. (Podemos irnos de vacaciones).<\/li>\n<li><em>I may have dessert after dinner<\/em>. (Puedo comer postre despu\u00e9s de la cena).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How do I use\u00a0<em>may<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>might<\/em>\u00a0within a sentence?<\/h3>\n<p><strong>May is used to express what is hypothetical or remotely possible<\/strong>\u00a0.\u00a0For example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>If you hurry, you might get there on time<\/em>\u00a0(Si se da prisa, es posible que llegue a tiempo).<\/li>\n<li><em>If I had shown up on time, I might have kept my job<\/em>. (Si hubiera llegado a tiempo, podr\u00eda haber mantenido mi trabajo).<\/li>\n<li><em>If I win the lottery, I might buy a Ferrari<\/em>. (Si gano la loter\u00eda, podr\u00eda comprar un Ferrari)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We immediately realize that it can be about\u00a0<strong>situations that are speculative or that in reality did not happen<\/strong>\u00a0, that is, hypothetical, while it can deal with situations that are possible or could be factual.<\/p>\n<p>An easy way to express \/ remember this difference is that it might suggest a lower probability than you can.\u00a0<strong>If something is very unlikely, you probably want to use might.\u00a0<\/strong>You could say that power is for very unlikely things.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"might\">Might is May&#8217;s past tense<\/h2>\n<p>The second distinction, which is the more important of the two between these two words, is that\u00a0<strong>might is the past tense of may.\u00a0<\/strong>In most confusing situations, you can easily make the right decision by remembering this fact.\u00a0For example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>He might have called earlier, but I was not home.\u00a0<\/em><em>(Past tense)\u00a0<\/em>(Podr\u00eda haber llamado antes, pero yo no estaba en casa. (Pasado))<\/li>\n<li><em>The criminal might not have been caught, had you not sounded the alarm.\u00a0<\/em><em>(Past tense<\/em>) (El criminal podr\u00eda no haber sido capturado, si no hubiera dado la alarma. (Pasado))<\/li>\n<li><em>I may go to the movies tonight. (Present tense<\/em>) (Puede que vaya al cine esta noche. (Tiempo presente)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>If you can determine the time of his sentence<\/strong>\u00a0, you can easily choose between might or may.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"use\">Can we use Might \/ May Have interchangeably?<\/h2>\n<p>Not a few say that\u00a0<em>might have<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>may have<\/em>\u00a0can be used\u00a0interchangeably, but this is often a\u00a0<strong>bad idea<\/strong>\u00a0.\u00a0<em>May have<\/em>\u00a0should not be used in the past tense.<\/p>\n<p>According to the American Heritage Dictionary&#8217;s 2012 Usage Panel survey, the vast majority of experts disagree with the use they might have in the same contexts.\u00a0AHD provided their panel with the following two sentences,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>If John Lennon had not been shot, the Beatles\u00a0<strong>might<\/strong>\u00a0have gotten back together.\u00a0<\/em>(Si John Lennon no hubiera recibido un disparo, los Beatles podr\u00edan haber vuelto a estar juntos).<\/li>\n<li><em>If John Lennon had not been shot, the Beatles\u00a0<strong>may<\/strong>\u00a0have gotten back together.\u00a0<\/em>(Si John Lennon no hubiera recibido un disparo, los Beatles podr\u00edan haber vuelto a estar juntos).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>In the survey<\/strong>\u00a0, 97 percent of the usage panelists found the first sentence acceptable, while only 32 percent found the second sentence acceptable.<\/p>\n<p>Far from being a few grammar-loving pedantic few,\u00a0<strong>most experts see this distinction as necessary<\/strong>\u00a0, and if you&#8217;re writing for any kind of professional audience, you&#8217;ll want to make sure you keep these two words separate.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asking\">When asking for permission<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><em>You may have another piece of cake.<\/em>(Puede tener otro pedazo de pastel)<\/li>\n<li><em>May I go to the restroom?\u00a0<\/em>(\u00bfPuedo ir al ba\u00f1o?)<\/li>\n<li><em>Might I ask when the movie starts?\u00a0<\/em>(\u00bfPuedo preguntar cu\u00e1ndo comienza la pel\u00edcula?)<\/li>\n<li><em>Might I ask for a favor?\u00a0<\/em>(\u00bfPuedo pedir un favor?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>When asking permission,\u00a0<em>may<\/em>\u00a0is much more common than\u00a0<em>might.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While both words can be used to ask for permission, if you&#8217;re not careful, they can create ambiguity.\u00a0For example, if you asked the question:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>May I go to the movies tonight?\u00a0<\/em>(\u00bfPuedo ir al cine esta noche?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You want to be clear when you go to tell your friends whether or not they received your permission.\u00a0For example,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I<em>\u00a0may not go to the movies tonight.\u00a0<\/em>(Puede que no vaya al cine esta noche.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>When you say this<\/strong>\u00a0, do you mean &#8220;I&#8217;m not allowed to go to the movies tonight&#8221; or do you mean &#8220;I may not go to the movies tonight&#8221;?\u00a0(\u00a0<em>I might not go to the movies tonight<\/em>\u00a0.)<\/p>\n<p>In situations like this, it\u00a0<strong>is best to use &#8221;\u00a0<em>might<\/em>\u00a0&#8220;<\/strong>\u00a0to avoid any confusion that may arise.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>(I might not go to the movies tonight)<\/em>. Puede que no vaya al cine esta noche.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"summary\">In summary<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>It is important to keep the\u00a0<em>might<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>may separate<\/em>\u00a0so that you can maintain clarity in your writing.<\/li>\n<li>It could carry less probability and applies to hypothetical and counter-factual situations.\u00a0<em>Might<\/em>\u00a0is also the past tense of\u00a0<em>May<\/em>\u00a0.<\/li>\n<li>May applies to situations that are possible or could be possible.<\/li>\n<li>When talking about something that is not happening, it may be better to use\u00a0<em>might<\/em>\u00a0to avoid confusion with the permissive permission.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Remember!\u00a0You must be aware of the\u00a0next calls\u00a0if you want to obtain your official title.\u00a0Good luck!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-bottom\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;6756&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;\u00a1D\u00e9janos unas estrellitas si te ha gustado el post!&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;0\\\/5 - (0 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;May and might what is the difference?&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 4px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 4px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 4px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 4px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 4px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 0px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 4px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 4px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 4px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 4px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 4px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\u00a1D\u00e9janos unas estrellitas si te ha gustado el post!<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>May and might what is the difference? \u00cdNDICE DE CONTENIDOS May and Might in expressing the possibility Might is May&#8217;s&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2637,"featured_media":6916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8080,8092,8093,8108,8075],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-level-a2-levels","category-level-b1-levels","category-level-b2-levels","category-grammar","category-learn-english","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2637"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6756"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10828,"href":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6756\/revisions\/10828"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elblogdeidiomas.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}