Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Username

Carma

Member Since

January 12, 2019

Total number of comments

1

Total number of votes received

1

Bio

Latest Comments

Might could

  • January 12, 2019, 4:06am

A lot of my family says this and it has a very specific meaning. "I might" means "maybe I will." "I could" means either "yes I can" or "I could but maybe I won't" (depending on emphasis).

But "I might could" is different than both; it means the same as "I might be able to," which is different from both of the other phrases. It's a colloquialism, not bad grammar.