by Laura Jones
Updated on November 10, 2022
When to use May or Might in English
Is it may or might? Many native speakers of English are not always sure what the difference is between these words. There are several different ways we use them in English. For each of the different uses, we’re going to start with the simplest explanation. This is often the way native speakers use may and might – we’re simple creatures! Then, we’re going to look at some more complex differences between the words, so you can be absolutely sure you’re using them correctly.
We use may and might to talk about something that is possible in the present or the future.Lots of native speakers use these words interchangeably when talking about possibility. The construction of the sentence is the same: may / might + base form of the verb.
| May | Might | |
| Present | Why is he yawning? He may be tired. | Why isn’t she answering the phone?She might have loud music on. |
| Future | Are they coming later?They may come if they have time. | Can we go to the park tomorrow?I don’t know, it might rain. |
At a more advanced level, you can start to choose between may and might when talking about possibility. We use may for something that is more likely to happen or a prediction that is based on facts; we use might for things that are less likely to happen, or for predictions not based on facts. Compare these sentences:
We can use may / might + have + past participle to talk about something that possibly happened in the past.
Native speakers use these constructions interchangeably, but might have is more common. Some people say that might have is the only correct construction here, but as I said, in real-life language, we use both.
When to use Can vs Could in English
If we start at the basic level again, the most important thing to know is that we use may to ask for, give and refuse permission. Using may for permission is quite formal and very polite in English. You probably know that we often use can to ask for and give permission in an informal situation.
We can also use might to ask for permission. This is very formal and you probably won’t hear it very often in normal conversation.
If we want to report requests, might is the past tense of may.
We very rarely use might to give permission. It is only used to ask for permission.
We can also use may / might to make suggestions or give advice in an idiomatic way. The construction of this phrase is always the same: subject + may / might want to + verb. Might is much more common in this phrase, and it is only used with second or third person subjects.
Feeling more confident about using may and might? Do you think you might use these words more often now?
