May

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See also May, máy, and mấy

English

Most common English words: very « upon « man « #70: may » about » its » time

Pronunciation

• enPR: mā, IPA: /meɪ/, SAMPA: /meI/

• Audio (US)	noicon
  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪ

Etymology 1

Old English magan, from Germanic. Cognate with Dutch mogen, German mögen, Icelandic mega.

Verb

Infinitive -

Third person singular may

Simple past might

Past participle -

Present participle -

- (third-person singular simple present may, present participle -, simple past might, past participle -)

1. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) To have permission to. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests.

   You may smoke outside.

   May I sit there?

2. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Possibly, but not certainly.

   He may be lying.

3. (subjunctive present, defective) Expressing something that is possibly true.

   come what may

4. (subjunctive present, defective) Expressing wish or blessing.

   May you win. May the weather be sunny.

Usage notes

• May is a defective verb. It has no infinitive, no past participle, and no future tense. Forms of to be allowed to are used to replace these missing tenses.
• The simple past (both indicative and subjunctive) of may is might
• The present tense is negated as may not, which can be contracted to mayn't, although this is old-fashioned; the simple past is negated as might not, which can be contracted to mightn't.
• May has archaic second-person singular present indicative forms mayest and mayst.
• Usage of this word in the sense of possibly is considered incorrect by some speakers and writers, as it blurs the meaning of the word in the sense have permission to. These speakers and writers prefer to use the word might instead.
• Usage of this word in the sense of wish is often unstated, as in (may you) Have a great day!.

Synonyms

• (have permission to): can, could, might
• (possibly): could, might
• (in subjunctive): might

Derived terms

term derived from "may"

as the case may be be it as it may, be that as it may, be this as it may come what may devil-may-care if I may I may not but it may well with, may well with let the chips fall where they may

may as well maybe may chance may-fall may-fortune mayhap mayhappen may I?

may-issue mayn't may you live in interesting times that is as may be, that's as may be those who will not when they may, when they will they shall have nay what-you-may-call-it

Translations

have permission to

American Sign Language: [[S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown-S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown S@Chesthigh-PalmDown-S@Chesthigh-PalmDown#Template:Ase|S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown-S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown S@Chesthigh-PalmDown-S@Chesthigh-PalmDown]] Arabic: استطاع (istaṭāʻa), ممكن (múmkin) lit.: possible Chinese: 可以 (kěyǐ) Czech: smět cs(cs) Danish: må da(da) Dutch: mogen nl(nl) Finnish: voida fi(fi), saada fi(fi) French: pouvoir fr(fr) German: dürfen de(de), mögen de(de), könnten de(de) Greek: μπορώ (boró), επιτρέπεται (epitrépete) Hungarian: szabad hu(hu) Icelandic: mega, mátt

Indonesian: boleh / dapat / bisa Italian: potere it(it) Japanese: してもいい (shité mo íi) Korean: 할 수 있다 (hal su itda) Norwegian: kan no(no), får no(no), må no(no) Persian: تَوانِستَن (tævānestæn) Polish: móc pl(pl) Portuguese: poder pt(pt) Russian: мочь ru(ru) (moč’), можно ru(ru) (móžno) (predicative) Spanish: poder es(es) Swedish: få sv(sv), kunna sv(sv), kan sv(sv) Tagalog: maaari, puwede

possibly, but not certainly

American Sign Language: [[S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown-S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown S@Chesthigh-PalmDown-S@Chesthigh-PalmDown#Template:Ase|S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown-S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown S@Chesthigh-PalmDown-S@Chesthigh-PalmDown]] Chinese: 可能 (kěnéng) may be, possible Czech: moci (moct) Danish: måske da(da) Dutch: misschien may be; He may be lying — Hij liegt misschien Finnish: voida fi(fi), saattaa fi(fi) French: peut-être, il se peut que + subjunctive; He may be lying — Il ment peut-être, Il se peut qu’il mente. Greek: ίσως el(el), μάλλον el(el) Hungarian: lehet hu(hu) Icelandic: geta is(is)

Indonesian: mungkin / barangkali / bisa jadi / bisa saja Italian: forse, può essere che + subjunctive; He may be lying — Forse sta mentendo, Può essere che stia mentendo Japanese: 多分 (たぶん, tábun), かも知れない (かもしれない, kamo shirenai) Norwegian: kan være, also expressed with adv. kanskje; He may be lying - Det kan være han lyver/Kanskje han lyver Persian: شایَد fa(fa) (šāyæd) Polish: móc pl(pl) Portuguese: poder pt(pt) Russian: может быть (móžet bytʹ) may be, мочь (moč’) Swedish: kan sv(sv), kanske sv(sv) Tagalog: maaari, puwede

subjunctive

Dutch: mogen nl(nl); come what may - komen wat komen moge French: use subjunctive of pouvoir

Italian: use subjunctive of potere Swedish: må, or rarely, -e

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Hungarian: lehet; You may smoke outside — Kivul dohányozhat.; May I sit there? — Oda ülhetnék?; He may be lying — Lehet, hogy hazudik. Ido: forsan (4, 5), darfas (1, 2) Polish: możliwe, że (2); He may be lying - Możliwe, że on kłamie. Romanian: putea Spanish: poder

See also

• Appendix:English tag questions

Etymology 2

French mai, so called because it blossoms in May.

Noun

Singular May

Plural {{{1}}}

May ({{{1}}})

1. The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.

Derived terms

• Italian may
• mayhaw

Translations

the hawthorn bush or its blossom

Bulgarian: глог bg(bg) (glog) m. Finnish: orapihlaja fi(fi) French: aubépine fr(fr) f. German: Weißdornblüte f. Greek: λευκάκανθα (lefkákantha) f. Hungarian: (bush) galagonya hu(hu), galagonyavirág hu(hu)

Italian: biancospino it(it) m. Ojibwe: miinensagaawanzh, miinensagaawanzhiig pl. Portuguese: pirilteiro m., estrepeiro m. Russian: боярышник ru(ru) (bojáryšnik) m. Spanish: espino m., marzoleto m.

Verb

Infinitive to May

Third person singular -

Simple past -

Past participle -

Present participle -

to May (third-person singular simple present -, present participle -, simple past and past participle -)

1. To gather may.
   • 1922, A. E. Housman, Last Poems, VII, lines 1-2

     In valleys green and still / Where lovers wander maying

Anagrams

• Amy,
• Mya, MYA; yam

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Crimean Tatar

Noun

May

1. butter, oil

Declension

    declension of May

nominative	May
genitive	Maynıñ
dative	Mayğa
accusative	Maynı
locative	Mayda
ablative	Maydan

Synonyms

• yağ

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Kurdish

Noun

May m.

1. intervention

Derived terms

• mayê xwe tê dan
• maytêder
• maytêderî
• maytêker
• maytêkerî
• mayê xwe tê kirin

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Mapudungun

Adverb

May (using Raguileo Alphabet)[[Category:Template:Arn adverbs|May]]

1. yes

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Tagalog

Verb

May [[Category:{{[[Template:|{{{1}}}]]}} verbs|May]]

1. there is

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Tatar

Alternative spellings

• май

Noun

May [[Category:Template:Tt nouns|May]]

1. May (Month of the Year)

Declension

Template:Tt-latin-noun

See also

• Previous: äpril. * Next: yün

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