English translation:
very unlikely to
does not seem that
does not appear that
Structure:
Verb[stem] + そうもない
Less likely than そうにない
Explanation:
[Very often used with verb in potential form]
Would I be correct to think that
あのケーキは全部食べられるはずがない
Would mean “(It is obvious) I cannot eat all that take !”
While
(私は)あのケーキは全部食べられそうもない
Would mean that it is not a case of “being obvious from the start”, but that something is happening from which it seems I will not be able to eat all the cake (maybe I am showing signs of it even before finishing half of the cake)
2 Likes
はず is more of a prediction/estimate, like you’re contrasting your cake-eating experiences to the now hypothetical cake in front of you.
そうもない is just stating impossibility, and has a nuance of ‘giving up’ to it, like it’s so much of X that you can’t handle it.
So yeah, what you’re describing sounds right to me!