शायद (shaayad)

adverb A single-sense adverb meaning 'perhaps, maybe' -- used to express doubt or possibility about a statement.

Sense 1 : perhaps, maybe

adverb Typically placed at the start of the sentence, though it can also appear before the verb; it does not trigger any change in verb mood on its own, but is very often paired with the subjunctive when the speaker wants to underscore genuine uncertainty, e.g. शायद वह आए (shaayad vah aae, 'maybe he'll come') rather than the plain future.

Synonyms: मुमकिन है (mumkin hai, phrase: 'it's possible'), संभवतः (sambhavtah, literary/formal), कदाचित (kadaachit, literary, rare)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: You'll hear शायद (shaayad) constantly at the start of casual sentences in Delhi -- it's the Hindi speaker's natural hedge, much like English 'maybe' or 'I guess'. Pairing it with the subjunctive (शायद वह आए shaayad vah aae, 'maybe he'll come') rather than a flat future tense is what makes the doubt sound genuine and idiomatic rather than textbook-ish.

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often pair शायद (shaayad) only with the future tense (जायेगा jaayegaa) when native speakers frequently prefer the subjunctive (जाए jaae) to sound more natural and genuinely uncertain. 2) Do not confuse with ज़रूर (zaroor, 'certainly'), which expresses the opposite level of confidence -- learners sometimes mix up these two common sentence-openers.

Sample Sentences:

शायद वह आज आए। Maybe he'll come today.

(shaayad vah aaj aae।)

शायद बारिश हो रही है, छत की टपकन सुनो। Maybe it's raining, listen to the dripping on the roof.

(shaayad baarish ho rahii hai, chhat kii tapkan suno।)

शायद उसे मेरी बात याद न रही हो। Maybe he didn't remember what I said.

(shaayad use merii baat yaad n rahii ho।)

शायद मैं गलत था। Maybe I was wrong.

(shaayad main galat thaa।)

शायद अगर तुम पहले बताते, तो हम समय पर पहुँच जाते। Maybe if you had told us earlier, we would have reached on time.

(shaayad agar tum pahle bataate, to ham samay par pahunch jaate।)

शायद यह प्रस्ताव अगली बैठक में स्वीकार कर लिया जाए। Perhaps this proposal will be accepted in the next meeting.

(shaayad yah prastaav aglii baithak men sviikaar kar liyaa jaae।)

शायद वह रोज़ इतनी देर से नहीं उठता, आज कुछ खास बात है। Maybe he doesn't usually wake up this late, today something's up.

(shaayad vah roz itnii der se nahiin uthtaa, aaj kuchh khaas baat hai।)

शायद ज़िंदगी का यही मतलब हो, कि हम बिना जाने आगे बढ़ते रहें। Perhaps this is the meaning of life -- that we keep moving forward without knowing.

(shaayad zindgii kaa yahii matlab ho, ki ham binaa jaane aage badhte rahen।)

शायद तुम सही कह रहे हो, मुझे सोचने दो। Maybe you're right, let me think.

(shaayad tum sahii kah rahe ho, mujhe sochne do।)

शायद कल तक रिपोर्ट तैयार हो जाए। Maybe the report will be ready by tomorrow.

(shaayad kal tak riport taiyaar ho jaae।)

शायद वो अब तक स्टेशन पहुँच गया हो। Maybe he's already reached the station by now.

(shaayad vo ab tak steshan pahunch gayaa ho।)