'will be' or 'may be' english translation inaccurate?

Question

En cas de guerre, tout citoyen ________ être appelé à participer à la défense du pays. The answer is pourra - will be. The translation is 'may be'. Should that not be 'pourrait'?

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour chris,
Yes, you could have "pourrait". However, it is much closer to "might" than "may" and Le Conditionnel Présent is not as strong as Le Futur Simple. The notion of possibility comes from "may" and can be reflected by Le Futur Simple while "pourrait" would be reflected with "might be". Also, "will be" would mean using "sera" not "pourra" (as the notion of possibiliry is not present in "will be" ; implying certainty rather than possibility).
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !