Perhaps it is part of the adverbs of doubt.
Perhaps it is an adverb of doubt that suggests the chance that what it mentions is true or that it will happen . The term is recognized by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) as a synonym for perhaps .
This means that what the adverb perhaps refers to is not a certainty, but is part of the realm of the possible or probable . For example: if a man tells a friend that “perhaps next year” he will take a trip to Europe , he will be referring to the fact that he may go on vacation to the European continent, without said plan being confirmed.
The adverb can refer, on the other hand, to a doubt or concern . “Maybe I was wrong for not telling you what was happening” is a phrase that can be uttered by someone who is not sure about the correctness of their actions.
The inclusion of the term perhaps , ultimately, serves to clarify that what is expressed may either be true or not . Saying “I'm going to quit my job” is not the same as saying “Maybe I'll quit my job.”
Maybe and maybe
It is worth mentioning that, although the RAE prefers the use of perhaps over perhaps , both terms are officially recognized. This happens with many other words, which have an equivalent with some minimal difference at the spelling level, such as an accent or an extra letter.
The inclusion of the final S for the formation of perhaps was carried out by analogy with other adverbs that also end in that letter. It is important to remember that both have an accent, since they are acute ending in a vowel and S, respectively.
The use of perhaps allows us to convey a lack of certainty or indefinition.
Formal and informal use
The use of this term is very common in everyday speech, both in professional settings and in informal conversations. Although it is expected that people with technical knowledge of a particular subject will speak with certainty , it is impossible to be sure of everything that is mentioned, which is why it is natural to resort to the adverb perhaps to highlight that we contemplate the lack of precision of our words .
In everyday speech, on the other hand, its use is "less condemned" than in conversations between specialists, since the topics to be discussed are usually less committed; For example, by saying "maybe I will take the suits to the dry cleaners" no one is putting another's life at risk, while "maybe I should refer my patient to Dr. Suárez" speaks of a lack of confidence regarding the effectiveness with the that a doctor could treat a patient, so it is very important that he or she makes the right decision .
Abusing this term in communication is typical of people who are insecure about themselves, and in such cases it is normal for doubts to reach absurd limits, in which their own tastes and preferences are questioned . For example, when faced with a question such as "So you prefer action movies to horror movies?" A direct answer or an explanation is expected in which the proportion of the interlocutor enjoys each genre is expressed; However, an insecure individual may respond “Maybe,” something that shows their fear of expressing their true feelings.
The term perhaps in art
Several artistic works include this notion in their title . The most famous is probably “Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps” , a musical theme created by Osvaldo Ferrés . The Cuban musician presented this song in 1947 , which later had multiple versions.
“Perhaps” is also the title of an album by the Spanish Enrique Iglesias (released in 2002 ) and of a song that Toby Love performed with Yuridia (released in 2011 ). The Mexican Paulina Rubio , for her part, sings a song called “Maybe, maybe.”