Arabic Words for “Perhaps”

أَمَل

root: ء-م-ل / noun / plural: آمال / definition: hope

---

I’ve been feeling a sense of peace recently that had remained elusive for a while. Or maybe I mean a sense of relief. Perhaps it’s to do with the fact that some internal pressure has been lifted, and my mind isn’t beating me up so bad to force me into thinking and feeling.

I could sit here and find multiple perhaps‘, but I’d rather write a post about some Arabic words for “perhaps”. And I’m sure you’d much rather read that too. Perhaps.

Okay, so there are many words, phrases, and constructions we can use to talk about possibility, but I really want to get into three (or four, kind of) particles that mean “perhaps” or “maybe”:

عَلَّ / لَعَلَّ

عَسى

رُبَّما

---

Let’s look at them one-by-one…

---

عَلَّ / لَعَلَّ

root: ع-ل-ل

لَعَلَّ is just عَلَّ with the emphatic لَـ prefix, but both particles mean the same thing.

Rule: both are followed immediately by an accusative noun. Or a pronoun suffix.

Examples:

لَعَلَّ الخَوفَ أَكبَرُ حاجِز

perhaps fear is the greatest obstacle

---

عَلَّهُ كانَ بَصيصَ أَمَلٍ بِالنِّسبةِ لَهُم

perhaps it was a ray of hope for them

---

عَسى

root: ع-س-ي

عَسى is a past tense verb, without a present tense form. In Modern Standard Arabic, we don’t find it conjugated.

Rule: it’s often followed by أَنْ, but not always. Its subject is in nominative case, and can be a pronoun suffix.

Examples:

عَسى أَنْ تَكونَ الرِحلَةُ مُفيدة

perhaps the journey will be beneficial

---

عَساهُ يَتَذَكَّر

perhaps he will remember

(Note that all of the words in this list express hopefulness, and sometimes fear.)

---

رُبَّما

root: ر-ب-ب

رُبَّما is the particle رُبَّ suffixed with ـما. It’s usually followed by a verbal sentence.

Rule: if it’s not followed by a verb, it has to be followed by a definite noun in nominative case (otherwise the meaning changes). When it’s followed by the past tense, it forms a future tense or conditional meaning.

Examples:

رُبَّما يَتَغَيَّرُ كُلُّ شَيء

perhaps everything will change

---

رُبَّما لَمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ شَيء

perhaps nothing will change

---

---

There’s something about simple grammar posts like this that I love writing. Definitely floating on that sense of peace now. I hope you are too.

.مع السلامة

---

If you’d like to receive email notifications whenever a new post is published on The Arabic Pages, enter your email below and click “Subscribe”: