Grammar › Speculation & Certainty
〜でしょう / 〜だろう — “probably, I'd guess”
Softened conjecture: 明日は晴れるでしょう — it'll probably be sunny tomorrow
Plain form + でしょう (polite) or だろう (plain/casual) softens a statement into a probable guess. Said with rising intonation, でしょう also works like “right?” — checking that the listener agrees.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Plain form + でしょう / だろう | 明日は雨が降るでしょう — it'll probably rain tomorrow |
| Rising intonation = seeking agreement | これでいいでしょう? — this is fine, right? |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 来週は忙しいでしょう。 | らいしゅうはいそがしいでしょう。 raishuuhaisogashiideshou。 | Next week will probably be busy. |
| 彼は今頃、家に着いているだろう。 | かれはいまごろ、いえについているだろう。 karehaimagoro、ienitsuiteirudarou。 | He's probably home by now. |
| この問題、難しいでしょう? | このもんだい、むずかしいでしょう? konomondai、muzukashiideshou? | This problem's tough, right? |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
だろう can sound blunt or masculine in casual speech if used carelessly by itself; でしょう is the safer, gender-neutral default in polite conversation.