i thought he might be busy. vs i thought he may be busy.

Both phrases are correct and can be used interchangeably. They both express the same idea of thinking that someone is busy. The choice between 'might' and 'may' is a matter of personal preference, since both are commonly used in this context.

Explained by Jennifer
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: September 09, 2024 • 20200 views

i thought he might be busy.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to express a past thought about someone possibly being busy. 'Might' is a modal verb indicating a possibility or likelihood.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 27, 2024

Feb 16, 2017 ... ... I thought he might be busy so I didn't force him to have a word with me." But using "I thought he might have been busy" or "I think he might ...
Aug 17, 2024 ... I let him as I thought he might be busy. Late the afternoon, I texted him that he seemed busy (He would text me the same when I wasn't very ...
Jay hasn't messaged me so I thought he might be busy... as always. So I decided to message him first. +. "Good morning, Love! Do you have plans for today ...
May 6, 2020 ... I thought he might be busy so I'd just brush it off. Until it got to the point where he wouldn't text me for days unless I texted first ...
Jul 21, 2021 ... I thought he might be busy or away. Sadly, on Friday people from our community delivered the news and we were all shocked. I will write a ...
Sep 18, 2014 ... I thought he might be busy and would call after seeing 2 missed calls. I waited the entire day but there was no reply. I could not make out ...
Feb 10, 2022 ... ... I thought he might be busy. So when he offered to work with me on it I jumped at the chance. Neil Fox: I saw Ryan was looking for a writer ...
Jun 8, 2018 ... ... I thought he might be busy but after taking to the students it seems that he's always like this. He never seems to have time and I need to ...
Jul 16, 2017 ... I thought he might be busy and would call after seeing 2 missed calls. I waited the entire day but there was no reply. I could not make out ...
Oct 8, 2024 ... “I tried calling him at least 12 times,” Harris said, speaking to reporters in D.C. “At first, I thought he might be busy, but after the 7th ...

Alternatives:

I thought he could be busy.
I thought he might have been busy.
I thought he might not be busy.
I thought he might have had other plans.
I thought he might have forgotten.

i thought he may be busy.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is also used to express a past thought about someone possibly being busy. 'May' is another modal verb indicating a possibility or permission.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 05, 2024

Sep 25, 2018 ... I thought he may be busy or that he might not like it. And then he sent me a message straight back saying he loved it and that it was great ...
Jan 8, 2012 ... I thought he may be busy, but his “status” on Communicator was always “green”. Now I started wondering what the reason was. Thought came to ...
... I thought he may be busy so I don't want to disturb him.Then at 9.00 pm, my mom wanted me to sleep because I have to get up at 4.00 am. So I went to my room ...

Alternatives:

I thought he may have been busy.
I thought he may not be busy.
I thought he may have had other plans.
I thought he may have forgotten.
I thought he may have misunderstood.

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i thought he might be busy. vs i thought he may be busy.

i thought he might be busy.

i thought he may be busy.

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