Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 6: 18/24

もしかしたら

Perhaps, Maybe, Possibly

Structure

もしかしたら(1) + Phrase +(かもしれない

(1) もしかしもしかする

Details

  • Register

    Standard

  • 使用域

    一般

About もしかしたら

もしかしたら and its alternatives are usually treated as stand alone 副詞(ふくし) (adverbs) in Japanese that are used to present hypothetical situations, and what could happen within those situations. These expressions are a combination of the adverb ()し, the case marking particle か, and one of several combinations of する (したら, して, or すると). It is often translated as 'perhaps', 'maybe', or 'possibly'.
As with many other Japanese adverbs, it will often appear at the beginning of sentences. Due to もしかしたら presenting hypothetical situations, かもしれない will regularly appear in the same sentence (although it is not required).
  • もしかしたら()けるかもしれない
    Maybe, I will be able to go.
  • もしかして仕事(しごと)あるかもしれないから(いま)ははっきりしたこと()ない
    I may have to work, so I can't say anything for certain.
  • もしかすると、アンちゃんも()かもしれないけど(みんな)大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)
    Maybe Ann-chan might come, but are you all okay with that?
As もしかしたら is a combination of もし 'if', か (presents a question), and したら 'so happens that', the literal translation is close to 'does it so happen that', or 'should it so happen that', with past or present tense being controlled more so by the following statement.
  • もしかしたら明日(あした)(やす)かもしれない
    Perhaps I will take a day off tomorrow.
  • もしかしたら昨日(きのう)だったかもしれない
    Perhaps it could have been yesterday.

Examples

  • もしかしたら(かれ)(えき)で、(いま)()っているかもしれない

    It is possible that he is still waiting at the station.

  • もしかしたら有名人(ゆうめいじん)ここ()かもしれない

    Maybe a famous person will come here.

  • もしかしたら()()わったの?一緒(いっしょ)()ようと()っていたのに!

    Did you perhaps already watch it? We said that we were going to watch it together!

  • 今度(こんど)そっちに()から、もしかしたら()えるかもしれないね。

    Next time I'll go there, so we might be able to meet.

  • もしかしたら病気(びょうき)かもしれないんだ…

    I might be ill...

  • Get more example sentences!

    Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

  • Online


  • Offline

    There are no Offline resources listed for 「もしかしたら」.

    You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

  • Track Resources!

    Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.

もしかしたら – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (4 in total)

  • Pushindawood

    Pushindawood

    Thank you for letting us know! I have updated the answers that throw hints/warnings to include たぶん. We will see what we can do about adding 多分 to N5 somewhere. Cheers!

  • Johnathan-Weir

    Johnathan-Weir

    もしかして and もしかすると are mentioned but have no example sentences.

  • Daru

    Daru

    It’s mostly because they are interchangeable!

Got questions about もしかしたら? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!

Join the Discussion