Will it happen or not? Between “yes, for sure” and “no way”, English has a whole scale of expressions: definitely, bound to, likely, probably, there’s a chance. Learn their meaning and, just as important, where they go in the sentence.Vai acontecer ou não? Entre “sim, com certeza” e “de jeito nenhum”, o inglês tem uma escala inteira de expressões: definitely, bound to, likely, probably, there’s a chance. Aprenda o significado delas e, tão importante quanto, a posição de cada uma na frase.
B1+ Adverbs: definitely, probably, possibly
The adverbs definitely, certainly, probably and possibly show how sure we are. Their position is the main difficulty: they go after will in affirmative sentences, but before won’t in negative ones.Os advérbios definitely, certainly, probably e possibly mostram o quanto temos certeza. A principal dificuldade é a posição: eles vêm depois de will nas frases afirmativas, mas antes de won’t nas negativas.
affirmative: will + adverb
The adverb comes after will.O advérbio vem depois de will.
She’ll probably get the job. (Ela provavelmente vai conseguir a vaga.)
negative: adverb + won’t
The adverb comes before won’t.O advérbio vem antes de won’t.
She probably won’t get the job. (Ela provavelmente não vai conseguir a vaga.)
- I’ll definitely call you when I land in Lisbon. (Com certeza eu te ligo quando pousar em Lisboa.)
- We probably won’t finish the project before Friday. (Provavelmente não vamos terminar o projeto antes de sexta.)
- He’s probably at the supermarket. (Ele provavelmente está no supermercado.)
- They possibly took the wrong exit. (Talvez eles tenham pegado a saída errada.)
With the verb be and other verbs
With be, the adverb goes after the verb: He’s probably tired. With other main verbs, it goes before the verb: She probably knows. Maybe and perhaps usually start the sentence.Com be, o advérbio vem depois do verbo: He’s probably tired. (Ele deve estar cansado.) Com os outros verbos, vem antes: She probably knows. (Ela provavelmente sabe.) Maybe e perhaps normalmente começam a frase.
B1+ Likely and unlikely
Likely (provável) and unlikely (improvável) are adjectives, so they need the verb be. There are two common patterns: a person or thing is likely to do something, or it’s likely that + clause. Brazilians often translate “é provável” with “probable”; that word exists, but likely is far more natural.Likely (provável) e unlikely (improvável) são adjetivos, por isso precisam do verbo be. Há dois padrões comuns: uma pessoa ou coisa is likely to fazer algo, ou it’s likely that + oração. Os brasileiros costumam traduzir “é provável” com “probable”; a palavra existe, mas likely é muito mais natural.
- Prices are likely to rise again next month. (É provável que os preços subam de novo no mês que vem.)
- Pedro is unlikely to arrive on time. He’s always late. (É pouco provável que o Pedro chegue na hora. Ele sempre se atrasa.)
- It’s likely that the match will be cancelled because of the rain. (É provável que o jogo seja cancelado por causa da chuva.)
- It’s highly unlikely that she’ll change her mind. (É muito improvável que ela mude de ideia.)
Likely as an adverb
In the US, and in news reports in general, you will also see likely used like probably: He will likely win. It is correct, but in exams and careful writing, He is likely to win or He will probably win are the safest choices. Use very / highly / quite to modify it: highly likely.Nos Estados Unidos, e no jornalismo em geral, você também vai ver likely usado como probably: He will likely win. Está correto, mas em provas e na escrita cuidadosa, He is likely to win ou He will probably win são as escolhas mais seguras. Use very / highly / quite para intensificar: highly likely (muito provável).
B1+ Bound to, sure to, certain to
Be bound to, be sure to and be certain to + base verb mean that the speaker is almost sure something will happen. Bound to is very common in conversation and often predicts something obvious or inevitable, like “com certeza vai” or “não tem como não”.Be bound to, be sure to e be certain to + verbo na forma base significam que quem fala tem quase certeza de que algo vai acontecer. Bound to é muito comum na conversa e muitas vezes prevê algo óbvio ou inevitável, como “com certeza vai” ou “não tem como não”.
- Don’t worry. You’re bound to find a job with your experience. (Fica tranquilo. Com a sua experiência, você com certeza vai encontrar um emprego.)
- The traffic is bound to be terrible on Friday evening. (O trânsito com certeza vai estar horrível na sexta à noite.)
- The new Marvel film is sure to be a hit. (O novo filme da Marvel com certeza vai ser um sucesso.)
Sure that vs sure to
Be careful with the subject. I’m sure that she’ll pass describes my feeling. She’s sure to pass describes her chances, from the speaker’s point of view. Both mean “tenho certeza de que ela vai passar”. But She’s sure that she’ll pass means she herself is confident.Atenção ao sujeito. I’m sure that she’ll pass descreve o meu sentimento. She’s sure to pass descreve as chances dela, do ponto de vista de quem fala. As duas significam “tenho certeza de que ela vai passar”. Já She’s sure that she’ll pass significa que ela mesma está confiante.
B1+ Chances and the probability scale
Nouns like chance are another natural way to talk about probability. We say there’s a (good / slight) chance (that), there’s no chance and, in informal speech, the chances are (that), which means “provavelmente”.Substantivos como chance são outra forma natural de falar de probabilidade. Dizemos there’s a (good / slight) chance (that), there’s no chance e, na fala informal, the chances are (that), que significa “provavelmente”.
- There’s a good chance it’ll be sunny at the beach this weekend. (Tem boas chances de fazer sol na praia neste fim de semana.)
- There’s a slight chance of showers in the afternoon. (Há uma pequena chance de pancadas de chuva à tarde.)
- The chances are she’s already heard the news. (Provavelmente ela já ficou sabendo da notícia.)
| Probability | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | It will definitely rain. / It’s bound to rain. | Com certeza vai chover. |
| about 80% | It will probably rain. / It’s likely to rain. | Provavelmente vai chover. |
| about 50% | There’s a chance it’ll rain. / It might rain. | Pode ser que chova. |
| about 20% | It probably won’t rain. / It’s unlikely to rain. | Provavelmente não vai chover. |
| 0% | It definitely won’t rain. / There’s no chance of rain. | Com certeza não vai chover. |
Common Mistakes
Avoid these
✗ She won’t probably come. ✓ She probably won’t come.Na negativa, o advérbio vem antes de won’t.
✗ He likely to win. ✓ He’s likely to win.Likely é adjetivo e precisa do verbo be.
✗ It’s probable that he comes. ✓ It’s likely that he’ll come.Para “é provável”, likely é a escolha natural, com o futuro na oração.
✗ You’re bound to finding a job. ✓ You’re bound to find a job.Depois de bound to, use o verbo na forma base.
✗ There’s a big chance. ✓ There’s a good chance.Em inglês, a combinação natural é good chance, não “big chance”.
Quick Summary
| Expression | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| definitely / certainly | I’ll definitely be there. | Com certeza vou estar lá. |
| probably (negative) | He probably won’t call. | Provavelmente ele não vai ligar. |
| be likely to | Prices are likely to fall. | É provável que os preços caiam. |
| it’s unlikely that | It’s unlikely that she’ll win. | É improvável que ela ganhe. |
| be bound to | It’s bound to happen. | Isso com certeza vai acontecer. |
| there’s a good chance | There’s a good chance we’ll win. | Temos boas chances de ganhar. |
| the chances are | The chances are he knows. | Provavelmente ele já sabe. |
Practice Time
Quiz