[Grammar] She might be sleeping.

[newkeenlearner]

It is 5:30 PM.

At 5 PM I am calling my friend Sarah, but at that time he didn't answer her phone.

Then I said to another friend of mine:Sarah might be sleeping. / Sarah might have been sleeping.

Which sentence is possible to say?

 

[emsr2d2]

It is 5:30pm. [STRIKE]PM.[/STRIKE]

At 5pm [STRIKE]PM[/STRIKE] I [STRIKE]am calling[/STRIKE] called/phoned my friend Sarah, but [STRIKE]at that time[/STRIKE] she didn't answer her phone.

Then I said to another friend of mine, "Sarah might be sleeping/Sarah might have been sleeping".

Which sentence is possible? [STRIKE]to say?[/STRIKE]

See my corrections above.

Both sentences are grammatically correct but only one is possible in the situation you gave. You said that you phoned at 5pm and it is now 5.30pm. Which tense do you think you should use in that situation?

 

[newkeenlearner]

See my corrections above.

Thanks for correcting me.

Which tense do you think you should use in that situation?

The past tense I think.
But I use might because I am not sure if she slept or not, so "She might have been sleeping" is correct .

 

[emsr2d2]

"Might" is OK because you don't know for certain. You are simply expressing a possibility. It's more natural (in BrE) to say "She might have been asleep" but "sleeping" is not wrong.

 

[newkeenlearner]

"Might" is OK because you don't know for certain. You are simply expressing a possibility. It's more natural (in BrE) to say "She might have been asleep" but "sleeping" is not wrong.

Thanks so much.
However, if it is 5 pm, and I am calling my friend, and I say my friend: she is not answering her phone. I can say: she might be sleeping.

 

[emsr2d2]

Thanks so much.
However, if it is 5 pm (no comma here) and I am calling my friend, and I say to my friend "She is not answering her phone", can I [STRIKE]can[/STRIKE] say "She might be sleeping"?

See my changes above.

Yes, if you're talking to your friend at the same time as calling Sarah, or shortly after, you can say that. In case you're interested, a more natural (colloquial) way of saying it in BrE would be "She's not picking up/answering. Maybe she's asleep".

 

[andrewg927]

If it is 5:30 and your call was at 5, it sounds better with "might have been". If it is at the same time you are calling, it sounds better with "might be".

 

[queeniech]

"Might" is OK because you don't know for certain. You are I ssimply expressing a possibility. It's more natural (in BrE) to say "She might have been asleep" but "sleeping" is not wrong.

Can I say "She might have slept" in the above context?

 

[emsr2d2]

No.