Certainty Signal
Epistemic modality
Evidential adverb
Stance marker
How sure is the speaker?
extended
intermediate
Speaker stance
Betekenis
A signal of certainty, probability, doubt, assumption, hearsay, inference, or confidence.
Zo herken je het
Look for words like certainly, probably, maybe, apparently.
Voorbeelden
Woorden
certainly|probably|maybe|apparently|surely
Zinnen
probably true|maybe later|apparently finished
Voorbeeldzin
She is probably at home.
Visual guide
Basic shape
claim: She is at home.
^
certainty layer:
how sure is speaker?
maybe -> probably -> certainly
low mid high
Compare shape
Where can E07 live? adverb: probably particle: maybe modal verb: MOD + verb verb/mood: CERT-form same job: confidence
Taaloverzicht
In je taal
Dutch (standard)
Aanwezigheid
medium
Belang
Certainty is lexical and modal; Dutch does not require evidential grammar.
Hij zal wel thuis zijn.
He shall probably home be.
In de taal die je leert
Japanese
Aanwezigheid
strong
Moeilijkheidsgraad
Certainty is marked by adverbs and sentence-final forms such as だろう.
彼女はたぶん家にいる。
She is probably at home.
Veelvoorkomend struikelpunt
Learners may miss the strength difference between たぶん, きっと and でしょう.
Good transfer potential
This block behaves relatively similarly, so you can transfer intuition more safely between the two languages.