måske

Måske is a Danish and Norwegian adverb meaning “perhaps” or “maybe.” It expresses uncertainty about a proposition or future event and is one of the most common hedges in everyday speech. Måske can function as a sentence adverb, appearing before the main clause: “Måske kommer han i morgen.” It can also occur after the subject: “Han kommer måske i morgen.” It may introduce subordinate clauses as well: “Jeg kommer måske, hvis jeg får tid.” In Danish, the word is versatile and used in both informal and formal contexts. In more formal writing, speakers sometimes substitute “muligvis” or “eventuelt” to convey hedged uncertainty.

Etymology and cognates: The origin of måske is historical and part of the common Scandinavian inventory of expressions of possibility; it has cognates in other Nordic languages. In Norwegian, the closest cognate is kanskje, while Swedish uses kanske. These cognates share the same general meaning, though usage frequencies vary by language and region.

Usage notes: Måske does not inflect for person or number, and its meaning remains “perhaps” regardless of the subject. It is flexible in position within a clause, though placing it at the start or right before the main verb is common in Danish. The word is primarily used to hedge statements rather than to make definite claims, and its tone can range from casual to cautious depending on context.