N4-G-028

Noun(no だ)＋かもしりません (Might be)

Core / Probability with Nouns

👀 Layer A: Visual Guide

📝 Quick Summary

This grammar expresses a guess or possibility about what something is, or what the state of things might be (like weather or illness). When connecting a Noun to “Kamoshiremasen” in the present affirmative tense, you must connect it directly without “da” or “desu”.

Structure (Present): [Noun] + かもしれません。
Structure (Past): [Noun] + だったかもしれません。
Example: たなかさんは びょうきかもしれません (Tanaka-san might be sick).

🔗 Connected Grammar:

🔍 Layer B: Deepening

💡 Raya’s Hack

The “Janai” and “Datta” Check
If you are struggling to remember how to conjugate Nouns before “Kamoshiremasen”, just remember the plain forms of the noun!

– Present: あめだ ➡️ Drop the “da” ➡️ あめかもしれません。
– Negative: あめじゃない ➡️ Keep it! ➡️ あめじゃないかもしれません (Might not be rain).
– Past: あめだった ➡️ Keep it! ➡️ あめだったかもしれません (Might have been rain).

The only exception is the present affirmative. For everything else, just use the plain form!

🚧 Joy’s Mistake

Scene: Joy hears a rumor that is hard to believe.

Joy: 「そのはなしは うそだかもしれません。」
(Sono hanashi wa uso-da kamoshiremasen.)

❌ Don’t keep the “DA”!

Why?

Just like with Na-adjectives, “da” and “Kamoshiremasen” do not mix. “Kamoshiremasen” acts as the ending of the sentence. If you put “da” before it, you are putting two grammar engines in one car. Always drop the “da” when making a present-tense guess with a noun.

Correct: 「うそかもしれません。」 (It might be a lie.)