Where does “может быть” come from?
может быть (Russian) comes from Russian быть, from Old East Slavic бꙑти, from Proto-Slavic *byti, from Proto-Balto-Slavic bū́ˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- — to become, grow, appear.
может быть (Russian): maybe, perhaps, possibly
Ancestry of “может быть”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Russian | быть | to be |
| 2 | Old East Slavic | бꙑти | to be |
| 3 | Proto-Slavic | *byti | — |
| 4 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | bū́ˀtei | to be |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰuH- | to become, grow, appear |