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I thought he might be busy vs I thought he could be busy

Both phrases are correct and can be used interchangeably. They express the same idea that the speaker had a belief or assumption about someone's busyness in the past.

Last updated: March 20, 2024 • 1190 views

I thought he might be busy

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to express a past assumption or belief about someone's busyness. 'Might' indicates a possibility or likelihood.

Examples:

  • I thought he might be busy, so I didn't call him.
  • She thought he might be busy with work.
  • I walked by his office one day and the door was open and I didn't speak as I thought he might be busy. He was not to busy to call me back and ask why I didn't  ...
  • Sep 14, 2015 ... At first I thought he might be busy with the organization branching out into CSGO and HoTS but seems both those teams disbanded already.
  • I thought he might be busy because of the holidays but had my husband call him from a different phone. He answered and my husband started to make ...
  • I laughed and told him I thought he might be busy, given we had qualifying races that morning. He replied that we are a team and, if one teammate needs help, ...

Alternatives:

  • I thought he could be busy
  • I thought he may be busy
  • I thought he might have been busy
  • I thought he could have been busy
  • I thought he may have been busy

I thought he could be busy

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is also used to express a past assumption or belief about someone's busyness. 'Could' suggests a possibility or ability.

Examples:

  • I thought he could be busy, so I didn't disturb him.
  • She thought he could be busy with his family.
  • That was surprise because I thought he could be busy, but he made his time for me! I really appreciated that! Genta is my friend from United States, and we had ...

Alternatives:

  • I thought he might be busy
  • I thought he may be busy
  • I thought he might have been busy
  • I thought he could have been busy
  • I thought he may have been busy

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