Maybe you will like it

Question

HiThe sentence " Maybe you will like it" is ungrammatical, right? Because "will" and "maybe" contradict each other in this sentence? I just need confirmation.Thanks

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

MustAskThe sentence " Maybe you will like it" is ungrammatical, right?

No. It's fine.

MustAskBecause "will" and "maybe" contradict each other in this sentence?

No. There is no contradiction. 'maybe' + 'will' says 'maybe you will like it (when you try it in the future) and maybe you will not like it (when you try it in the future)'. It's almost like, "I don't know if you will like it". There is no contradiction in not knowing the future. In fact, that's the usual way things work.

CJ

MustAsk · Answer

Uh oh... But "if" and "will" or "would" in the same sentence are not used. You don't say "if you will ruin my painting, I will kill you" because 'will' indicates that something will definitely happen and 'if' condradicts that because it implies that something is uncertain.

Oh dear, no matter how much I love English, it still sometimes frustrates me to death because of its inconsistency.

CalifJim · Answer

MustAskYou don't say "if you will ruin my painting, I will kill you"

This is true just because that's how English works. We just don't use 'will' in that grammatical structure.

MustAskbecause 'will' indicates that something will definitely happen

This is not the reason we don't use 'if' and 'will' together. 'will' doesn't indicate that something will definitely happen. 'will' indicates that the speaker thinks it will definitely happen. But that's got nothing to do with the grammar of if-clauses. The grammar of if-clauses is much more arbitrary than that. We don't combine 'if' with 'will' just because we don't.

MustAsk'if' condradicts that because it implies that something is uncertain.

Every language has its own way of dealing with if-clauses. There are other languages where the future ('will') is used in if-clauses. It's just that, by coincidence, English is not one of these languages. Don't frustrate yourself by trying to find a logical reason. Some languages do it one way; other languages do it another way. These are just traditions that have nothing to do with logic.

CJ

MustAsk · Answer

But isn't "I don't know if you will like it" an 'if' clause? Any tips on how to distinguish regular sentences and if clauses?

CalifJim · Answer

MustAskBut isn't "I don't know if you will like it" an 'if' clause?

You need to distinguish between two kinds of if-clause. This one is not part of a conditional statement. This one is an indirect question.

Will you like it? I don't know.

becomes:

I don't know if you will like it.
__________________

That's different from the kind of if-clause that's part of a conditional statement:

If you like it, I will get you another one. (Not If you will like it ...)

CJ

Ozzourti · Answer

MustAsk"I don't know if you will like it"

In non-conditional sentences, "if" can be replaced with "whether".

You could say: "I don't know whether you will like it."

Anonymous · Answer

All of these are correct:
You may like it.
Maybe you will like it.
I don't know whether you will like it.

Maybe you will like it

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