问题：

I want to know the uses of “maybe” and “may be.” These two words really drive me crazy.

我想知道”maybe”和”may be”的用法。这两个词真让人抓狂。

回答：

Hi and thanks for writing to us! Maybe the words drive you crazy but I may be the right person to help.

嗨，谢谢你给我们写信！也许这两个词会让你抓狂，但我可能正是能够帮助你的人。

We use both “maybe” and “may be” to talk about possibility. The main difference is that they are different parts of speech.

我们用”maybe”和”may be”来谈论可能性。它们主要的区别在于词性不同。

maybe：也许、可能（副词）

As one word, “maybe” is an adverb – a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb or a sentence. As an adverb, “maybe” has the same meaning as “possibly.”

从词性上来说，”maybe” 是一个副词——用于描述动词、形容词、其他副词或句子。作为副词，”maybe”和”possibly” 意思一样。

We use it to talk about a future possible action or happening:

我们用它来谈论未来可能发生的事情：

Maybe I’ll go for a swim tomorrow morning. 明天早上我可能会去游泳。 Maybe I’ll go for a walk after dinner.

We also use it to say that something is possibly correct or true:

我们也用它来表示某事可能是正确的：

There are maybe three more people coming. 也许还有三个人要来。

We can also use it to respond to a request or suggestion:

我们也可以用它对请求或建议作出回应：

Do you want to go for a swim tomorrow? 明天你想去游泳吗？ Maybe. I have to check my plans, thanks. 也许吧。我得看看我的计划，谢谢。

may be 可能是 （动词短语）

Now let’s talk about “may be” – which is two words. As separate words, “may be” acts as a verb phrase and means “might be” or “could be.”

下面让我们来看看”may be”的用法——这是两个单词。作为单独的词组，”may be”属于动词短语，意为“可能是”。

For this usage, the word “may” is a modal verb. And “be” can act as either a main verb or part of a continuous verb tense.

在这种用法中，”may” 属于情态动词。”be”既可以作主动词，也可以作为进行时态的一部分。

Here it is with “be” as the main verb:

下面的”be”作主要动词：

There may be another chance to take the exam. 也许还有机会参加这个考试。

“May be” is also sometimes used to make a polite suggestion, as in the next example. The verb “be” here acts as the main verb:

“may be”有时也用来礼貌地提出建议，如下面的这个例子。这里的动词”be”充当主动词：

It may be a good idea to start saving money. 存钱也许是个好主意。

Next is an example with “be” as part of the present continuous (or be + -ing) verb tense:

下个例子中，”be”是现在进行(或be + -ing)时态的一部分：

We may be coming to your place later today. 今天晚些时候，我们可能会去你那里。