What's new!When you are learning a language, you become very good at showing people you don't know something! But sometimes we have an idea about something, but we're not completely sure. How can we express different levels of certainty? Here you'll find different ways of doing so:
- Question Tags:
We often use this structure when we are unsure of something or want to check information.
(1) It's not Shilpa Shetty, is it?
(2) She isn't an actress, is she?
(3) That's Shilpa Shetty, isn't it?
(4) She's been on TV, hasn't she?
Examples (3, 4) show slightly more certainty than (1, 2). However, the intonation the speaker uses with a question tag is the main indicator of the level of certainty. Listen to these two clips of example (1):
Less certain - upward intonation - listen here
More certain - downward intonation - listen here
When responding to question tags, yes and no refer to whether something is or isn't the case, not whether the first speaker is right or wrong. So in the following exchange, B is saying he doubts the woman is an actress:
A: She's not an actress, is she?
B: No, I don't think so.
- Modals:
Uncertainty: might, may, could
Certainty: must
Might, may and could are arranged from more uncertain to more certain. Could is sometimes combined with a question tag:
She couldn't be an actress, could she?
You can use possibly and perhaps with all these modals (except must), to indicate a lack of certainty:
She might perhaps be an actress ...
She couldn't possibly be an actress, could she?
Using I think before a modal usually shows that the speaker is more certain about something, e.g.
I think it might be Shakira
I think she might be an actress
However, a sentence like this with extra stress on the modal indicates slightly less certainty:
More certain - listen here
Less certain - listen here
- Perhaps / Maybe
Maybe she is a film star.
Perhaps she is in her office.
¡Qué hay de nuevo!Cuando aprendéis un idioma, os hacéis buenísimos diciendo a la gente que no sabéis algo. Aunque a veces tenemos una idea de algo, pero no estamos del todo seguros. ¿Cómo podemos expresar diferentes niveles de certeza? Aquí os dejo distintas formas de hacerlo:
- Coletillas:
A menudo usamos esta estructura cuando estamos inseguros de algo o queremos corroborar la información:
(1) It's not Shilpa Shetty, is it? [No es Shilpa Shelly, ¿o sí?]
(2) She isn't an actress, is she? [No es actriz, ¿verdad?]
(3) That's Shilpa Shetty, isn't it? [Esa es Shilpa Shelly, ¿ no?]
(4) She's been on TV, hasn't she? [Ella ha estado en la tele, ¿cierto?]
Los ejemplos (3, 4) muestran un poco de más certeza que los ejemplos (1, 2). Sin embargo, la entonación que el hablante utiliza con una coletilla es el indicador principal del nivel de certeza. Escuchad estos dos clips del ejemplo (1):
Menos certero- entonación ascendente - escúchalo aquí
Más certero - entonación descendente - escúchalo aquí
Al responder a las coletillas, yes y no se refieren a si algo es o no es, y no si el primer hablante tiene razón o está equivocado. Así que en la siguiente conversación, B dice que él duda que la mujer sea actriz:
A: She's not an actress, is she?
B: No, I don't think so.
- Modales:
Incertidumbre: might, may, could
Certeza: must
Might, may y could están ordenados de menos a más certero. Could se combina a veces con una coletilla:
She couldn't be an actress, could she? [No podría ser actriz, ¿o sí?]
Se puede usar possibly y perhaps con todos estos modales (excepto con must), para indicar falta de certidumbre
She might perhaps be an actress ... [Quizás pudiera ser actriz...]
She couldn't possibly be an actress, could she? [Posiblemente no podría ser actriz, ¿o sí?]
Si usamos I think antes de un modal solemos mostrar que el hablante tiene más certeza sobre algo, ej.:
I think it might be Shakira. [Creo que pudiera ser Shakira]
I think she might be an actress. [Creo que ella pudiera ser actriz]
Sin embargo, una oración como ésta con énfasis adicional en el verbo modal indica un poco de menos certeza:
Más certero - escúchalo aquí
Menos certero - escúchalo aquí
- Perhaps / Maybe
Maybe she is a film star. [Quizás ella es estrella de cine]
Perhaps she is in her office. [A lo mejor está en su oficina]
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