8 Ways to Say Maybe in Spanish

Have you heard of the song Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps? You probably have: it was covered by countless artists. But did you know that the original version is in Spanish, and is called Quizás, quizás, quizás?

Indeed, one correct way to say “perhaps” or “maybe” in Spanish is quizás, although… it’s not the only one! Perhaps you are wondering what those other ways of saying maybe in Spanish are. In this article, we will tell you all about them.

Read next: 100 Must-Know Basic Spanish Words For Beginners (with Audio)

Maybe in Spanish at a Glance

All the Ways to Say “Maybe” in Spanish

The first thing that bears mentioning is that it’s easier to understand how to say “maybe” in Spanish if you consider where the word comes from.

In English, “maybe” is a contraction of “may” and “be”. You’re saying “it may be so”.

Many of the below words and expressions have a similar meaning. Starting with quizás.

Quizá vs quizás

Quizá and quizás are the two of the most common ways of translating “maybe” in Spanish. You’re probably wondering between quizás vs. quizá, which is the correct one?

The answer, as that article says at length, is that both words can be used interchangeably. Although the Royal Spanish Academy considers the use of the first form, quizá to be more cultured, the second form, quizás, is also accepted.

The word quizás comes from Latin, more specifically from the expression qui sapit, which means “who knows?” When we think of the word “maybe” we can definitely see a connection between the Latin root and the Spanish word. Now, let’s look at some examples:

Italian speakers might also know the colloquial expression “Chissà?”, which has the same etymology and meaning, but which Italian speakers also hear as a contraction of a phrase with the same meaning, “Chi sa?” or “Who knows?”

Tal vez

Another widely-used way of saying “maybe” in Spanish is tal vez . Tal vez can be used interchangeably with quizá and quizás. Let’s see some examples of the use of tal vez in Spanish sentences:

A lo mejor

Another way to say “maybe” in Spanish is by using the expression a lo mejor . However, beware! A lo mejor isn’t used exactly in the same way as quizás and tal vez.

As you may know, the word mejor means “better”—therefore, a lo mejor means something like “in the best case”. In other words, it indicates the expectation of a favorable or pleasant circumstance. For example:

But don’t be too surprised if you see the expression a lo mejor in sentences where, clearly, a favorable circumstance is not expected. Sometimes, this expression can simply be a synonym for “maybe”:

Posiblemente, puede and puede ser

In English, a synonym for “maybe” is “possibly”. The same thing is true in Spanish with its translation posiblemente .

There are two expressions similar to “possibly”, and that come from the same root (the verb poder, “can” or “to be able to”). There are puede que and puede ser .

These expressions could be considered translations of “it may” and “it may be”, respectively, and they are used interchangeably. So, in the phrase “It may be Pedro who knocked on the door”, we can use both puede que and puede ser to say the same thing

• Puede ser Pedro que golpeó la puerta
• Puede que sea Pedro el que golpeó la puerta.

People also use the expression puede ser just to say “maybe”, standalone.

Other ways to say “maybe” in Spanish

In addition to the widespread quizás and tal vez, there are other ways to say “maybe” in Spanish that are location-specific. For example, in countries like Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica or Uruguay, the expression capaz (literally, “capable” or “able”) is used as a synonym for “maybe”.

In Spain, they use the word igual  (Spain), which literally means “same” or “equal”, to also mean “maybe”.

This can be a bit confusing since in Latin America the word igual colloquially means something like “anyway”.

Conclusion

Who knew there are so many different ways of saying “maybe” in Spanish? If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, using the two most common maybes – tal vez and quizás (or quizá) – will more than get your point across.

When you are in a conversation with Spanish speakers and you feel ready, use other more colloquial expressions, such as a lo mejor, puede, puede ser and, why not, igual or capaz. ¡Puede que los sorprendas!