Maybe vs May be

Many learners get confused between maybe and may be because they look so similar. Don’t worry — in this short lesson you’ll quickly see the difference, with a clear chart and a simple exercise to practise.

Grammar chart showing the difference between 'maybe' and 'may be' with rules and examples

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Maybe

Maybe is an adverb meaning ‘perhaps’ or ‘possibly’. It means that what you are going to say is a possibility.

Maybe is one word, and it’s not a verb, so it does not need a subject before it. We usually place it at the beginning of a sentence.

Maybe she’s at home. (= Perhaps she’s at home)
Maybe they were busy yesterday. (= Perhaps they were busy yesterday)
Maybe it will rain later. (= Perhaps it will rain later)

Maybe is sometimes also used before a verb.

He maybe forgot your name. (= Perhaps he forgot your name)

May be

May be is the modal verb may + the verb be. We use it to say that something is possible or might be true. The meanings of may be and might be are very similar.

Because it is a verb phrase, it always comes after the subject in the sentence.

She may be at the library. (= It is possible that she is at the library)
They may be late for the meeting. (= It is possible that they will be late)
It may be difficult to find a taxi now. (= It is possible that it is difficult to find a taxi now)

Sometimes we can say the same thing using either maybe or may be:

She may be at the library. = Maybe she is at the library.

Take the quiz!

Choose maybe or may be to complete each sentence.

Explanation

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