What is the difference between may and might in English

When learning English, many students fail to distinguish between the modal verbs may and might, so when it comes to completing grammar exercises arise the doubts about when to use one or the other. That is why we have written this educational article where we show you the difference between may and might in English .

may

May is a modal verb used to indicate possibility, but also to request permission in an educated manner.

POSSIBILITY :

  • "It may snow" (Maybe snow)

PERMIT :

  • " May I go out?" (I can leave?)
  • "Yes, you may " (Yes, you can leave)

Its negative form is created by adding not :

"He may not eat tonight" (May not come tonight)

The question with may is formulated by placing this verb at the beginning of the sentence, before the subject and main verb:

  • " May I eat tonight?" (Is it possible / could it come tonight?)

In the past we never use may, only might .

Might

Might, on the other hand, is a modal verb that is used only to indicate possibility or probability. Might indicates lower probability than may .

  • "It might snow" (It could snow)

Like may, its negative form is might not and its interrogative function is used by placing might at the beginning of the sentence:

  • " Might I eat tonight?" (Could you come tonight?)

In the past we never use may, only might :

  • "I could have gone to the beach yesterday" (Maybe it was yesterday at the beach)

Unlike May, might not be used to ask for permission:

  • CORRECT : " May I go to the park?" (Can I go to the park?)
  • INCORRECT : " Might I go to the park?"

Differences between may and might

These verbs are almost synonymous, and even the natives have difficulty discerning between one or the other. The basic difference between might and may lies in the fact that may is used to indicate that something is likely to be done ("may do ...") while might indicates less probability and security ("could do ...").

Regarding your sense of probability, the best idea is to remember this definition:

May : Maybe / maybe / maybe

Might : It could be that / it could be that

  • MOST LIKELY : "It may snow" (It may be snow / Maybe it snows)
  • LESS LIKELY : "It might snow" (It could snow / It could be snowing)

On the other hand, remember that to ask for permission you can only use may .