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"possibly" in seven languages

Meaningpossibly

Spanish

posiblemente

/posibleˈmente/

learned

French

possiblement

/pɔsibləmɑ̃/

learned

Rare in France, commoner in Québec; peut-être is the everyday word.

Italian

possibilmente

/possibilˈmente/

learned

Often means 'if possible'; forse is the everyday 'maybe'.

Portuguese

possivelmente

/posivewˈmẽtʃi/

learned

Talvez is the everyday 'maybe'.

Romanian

posibil

/poˈsibil/

learned

Romanian uses the adjective as the adverb; poate is the everyday 'maybe'.

Catalan

possiblement

/pusibləˈmen/

learned

Potser is the everyday 'maybe'.

English

possibly

/ˈpɑsəbli/

from Latin/French · Old French possible + English -ly

English → ItalianpossiblypossibilmenteCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

POSSIBILEM‘possible’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

The same learned adjective plus the -mente adverb ending everywhere; but French and Italian speakers usually reach for peut-être and forse instead.

English relatives: possible, possibility, potent

Sound laws at work

Adverbs in -mente / -ment

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In a sentence

  • esEs posiblemente el mejor restaurante de la ciudad.
  • frC'est peut-être le meilleur restaurant de la ville.
  • itÈ forse il miglior ristorante della città.
  • ptÉ possivelmente o melhor restaurante da cidade.
  • roEste posibil cel mai bun restaurant din oraș.
  • caÉs possiblement el millor restaurant de la ciutat.
  • enIt's possibly the best restaurant in town.

More words from the same Latin

More in Little words

All Little words words