posibil

Posibil is an adjective in Romanian meaning capable of being true or happening, not certain. It is used to express feasibility, potentiality, or a condition under which something could occur. In everyday language, it often appears in statements about what could be the case given certain circumstances, rather than what is definite.

Etymology and cognates: Posibil derives from Latin possibilis, formed from potis “able” with the suffix -ibil. In Romanian it developed into posibil, with feminine and plural forms marking gender and number. Related words in other Romance languages include Spanish posible and Portuguese possível, all sharing the same Latin origin.

Morphology: The adjective inflects for gender and number as follows: masculine singular posibil, feminine singular posibilă, masculine plural posibili, feminine plural posibile. It also participates in constructions such as posibil de + [infinitive], meaning feasible or doable, as in un plan posibil de realizat. In many contexts, it is used interchangeably with or contrasted with probabil, though probabil emphasizes likelihood rather than feasibility.

Usage: Posibil appears in clauses like “Este posibil să vină mâine” (It is possible that he will come tomorrow) and “Este o soluție posibilă” (That is a possible/feasible solution). It often conveys a neutral assessment of feasibility, while probabil conveys a probability estimate. The phrase “posibil de” followed by a verb or action is common to indicate feasibility, although the more direct “poate” or “este posibil să” constructions are also widely used.

See also: Romanian grammar, Latin roots in Romance languages, cognates in Spanish and Portuguese.