I thought he could come. vs I thought he might come.

Both phrases are correct, but they convey slightly different levels of certainty. 'I thought he could come' implies a higher degree of possibility compared to 'I thought he might come.' The choice between the two depends on the speaker's intended level of certainty.

Last updated: March 15, 2024

I thought he could come.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English. It implies a higher degree of possibility.

This phrase is used when the speaker believed there was a good chance or possibility that he would come.

Examples:

I thought he could come to the party, but he had other plans.
She thought he could come to the meeting, but he was stuck in traffic.
They thought he could come to the concert, but he fell ill.
We thought he could come to the event, but he had a family emergency.
He thought he could come to the game, but he had to work.

Alternatives:

I thought he might come.
I thought he would come.
I thought he might show up.
I thought he might attend.
I thought he might make it.

I thought he might come.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English. It implies a lower degree of possibility compared to 'I thought he could come.'

This phrase is used when the speaker believed there was a possibility, but not as strong as 'could.'

Examples:

I thought he might come to the party, but he seemed busy.
She thought he might come to the meeting, but he didn't confirm.
They thought he might come to the concert, but the weather was bad.
We thought he might come to the event, but he had a prior commitment.
He thought he might come to the game, but he wasn't feeling well.

Alternatives:

I thought he could come.
I thought he would come.
I thought he might show up.
I thought he might attend.
I thought he might make it.

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I thought he could come. vs I thought he might come.