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 • 1101 views

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

"I thought he could come."

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.

Show examples from the web [+]

I would plan my family meals around when I thought he could come over.. and would be disappointed when he couldn't. How stupid- he never even knew I was ...
Jan 13, 2015 ... "At first I thought he could come talk to me all he wanted, but we would move forward and present it to a grand jury, but after talking to him I do ...
Feb 26, 2015 ... http://www.twinpossible.com. Our most beloved Memphis adores the snow just like any other Husky, but I thought he could come down to the ...
Jan 29, 2015 ... “I thought he could come in an help us there, but if you told me he would be leading the league in scoring right now, I don't know.” In 2010, four ...

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.

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

"I thought he might 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.

Show examples from the web [+]

Oct 7, 2014 ... 'Robbie's legs were going a bit but I thought he might come up to us [at Sunderland] with his long hair, and give us a lift – the way Yorkie ...
I wanted to write "Cheeseburger In Paradise," but Jimmy Buffett had already done it. So I wrote what I thought he might come up with, were he inclined to write ...
Oct 7, 2014 ... Robbie's legs were going a bit but I thought he might come up to us [at Sunderland], with his long hair, and give us a lift – the way Yorkie ...
Oct 8, 2014 ... Robbie's legs were going a bit but I thought he might come up to us [at Sunderland], with his long hair, and give us a lift – the way Yorkie ...

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.