Forms
Basemay
Negativemay not
Contracted(no standard contraction)
Past formmight
Past negativemight not
Past contractedmightn't
Question patternMay I …?
Meanings & usage
- Permission (formal): “May I come in?” Polite, formal request
- Possibility: “It may rain later.” ~50% likelihood
- Formal prohibition: “Visitors may not enter.” Signs, official language
- Wish: “May you live long.” Expressing hope (literary)
- Concession: “He may be rich, but he's unhappy.” Acknowledging a fact
Tense patterns
How this modal combines with a base verb across time references. The modal itself doesn’t conjugate; the time meaning comes from what you attach.
Reference
Affirmative
Negative
Question
Present/future
I may work
I may not work
May I work?
Perfect (speculation)
I may have worked
I may not have worked
May I have worked?
Continuous
I may be working
I may not be working
May I be working?
Perfect continuous
I may have been working
I may not have been working
May I have been working?
Common mistakes
Mayn't is archaic — don't use it. In negative possibility, might not is far more natural than may not. May not is usually reserved for formal prohibition.