Level 6 · Lesson 8

大概、也许、一定
Probably, perhaps, certainly

他大概不会来。也许他把时间记错了。他一定会来。

The adverbs of certainty — and where they sit: in front of 不, 没 and the modal, never after.

听 · Listen

对话
 安娜 —  李明怎么还没来？ 
How come Li Ming still isn't here?  
 王老师 —  他大概路上堵车了。 
He's probably stuck in traffic.  
 安娜 —  也许他把时间记错了。 
Or maybe he got the time wrong.  
 王老师 —  我给他打个电话吧。 
Let me give him a call.  
 安娜 —  他好像没带手机。 
He doesn't seem to have his phone with him.  
 王老师 —  那再等十分钟。他一定会来。 
Then we'll wait another ten minutes. He'll definitely come.  
 安娜 —  恐怕他今天不能来了。 
I'm afraid he can't make it today.  
 李明 —  对不起，路上太堵了，我来晚了！ 
Sorry — the roads were terrible, I'm late!  

讲解 · Explanation

他大概不会来。他一定能听懂。也许你说得对。

These words say how sure you are, and they all sit in the same place: in front of the whole verb phrase — which means in front of 不 and 没, and in front of the modal too. 他大概不会来 is right; 他不会大概来 is not Chinese. Keep the order in your ear as one block: 大概 + 不 + 会 + 来. 也许 is the loosest of the four and may also start the sentence on its own: 也许他不知道.

也许最不确定，大概更可能一点儿，一定最肯定。他不一定来（也许不来），他一定不来（肯定不来）。

Think of them as a scale: 也许 is a guess, 大概 is a fair bet, 一定 is a certainty. The scale makes one pair worth memorising whole, because moving 不 by one syllable flips the meaning. 不一定 (bù yídìng) is 'not necessarily' — it leaves the door open. 一定不 (yídìng bù) is 'definitely not' — it shuts the door. 明天他不一定来 and 明天他一定不来 are two different pieces of news.

恐怕说的是不太好的事，里面有一点儿担心。好像说的是看起来的样子。

恐怕 is 'I'm afraid that'. It carries about the same probability as 大概, with the speaker's regret attached, so it goes with news the listener will not enjoy: 恐怕他今天不能来了. 好像 is different in kind — it reports how something looks, not how likely it is: 他好像很累, 外面好像下雨了. 好像 can also compare two things: 他好像他爸爸, 'he's like his father'. And in 不能来了, 了 is the change: the coming is now off.

生词 · Vocabulary

词	Meaning	注 · Note
大概	probably; roughly	他大概不会来
也许	perhaps, maybe	也许他不知道
一定	certainly, definitely	不一定 = 也许不；一定不 = 肯定不
恐怕	I'm afraid (that)	后面多是不太好的事
好像	it seems, to be like	他好像很累

练习 · Practice

他______来。 You are certain that he will NOT come. Which one?

我明天______不能去了，真对不起。 You are apologising for bad news.

他______没带手机，我打了两次都没人接。 Fill in the word for 'it seems'.

排一排。 Arrange the words: 'He probably won't come.'

大概、也许、一定、恐怕、好像 Match each adverb to its force.

用一用 · Use it

他大概…。也许…。他一定…。恐怕…。好像…。

Think of a friend you have not heard from today and say five sentences about them aloud, one with each word, in this order: 大概, 也许, 一定, 恐怕, 好像. Keep every adverb in front of 不 or 没 and in front of 会 or 能. Then say the pair 他不一定来 and 他一定不来 one after the other, and hear how far apart they are.