Meaning
It is likely that something will happen; used to express informal probability.
Primary Function
Informal probability estimation
Communicative Purpose
To say something is likely based on general experience
Pattern
Chances are; that
Core Structure
Chances are; that
Função primária
Informal probability estimation
Propósito comunicativo
To say something is likely based on general experience
Situações de gatilho
Everyday speculation, casual predictions
Contextos
Conversation, informal writing
Padrão
Chances are; that
Estrutura central
Chances are; that
Slots de substituição
A clause can follow; 'that' is optional and often omitted in speech.
Colocados típicos
- Chances are you’ll…
- chances are she’s already…
- chances are it won’t…
Substituições comuns
- “Odds are that…”
- “It’s likely that…”
Erros comuns
Using singular “chance is” — fixed plural form “chances are”
Similar / contraste
“In all likelihood” (formal); “I wouldn’t be surprised if…”
Interferências
Direct translation may yield unnatural structure
Família do chunk
- conversational probability frames
Nuance
Conversational and slightly confident; not scientific
Efeito pragmático
Friendly, everyday forecasting
Dica de memória
Likely guess
Nota
Use this phrase in informal conversations to express a probability based on general experience or intuition.
Upgrade path
“Chances are we’ll run into some issues along the way.”
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