〜でしょう / 〜だろう: You use this to make a guess. It means 'probably' or 'I think'. You are not very sure.

Dictionary

〜でしょう / 〜だろう

You use this to make a guess. It means 'probably' or 'I think'. You are not very sure.

N4 KMT3NeutralStandardAuxiliary ConstructionMixedConjecture From EvidenceGrammar

Verb [dictionary form] + でしょうPrimary

い-Adjective + でしょう

な-Adjective + でしょう

Noun + でしょう

Clause + だろう

You use this to make a guess. It means 'probably' or 'I think'. You are not very sure.

明日の天気は晴れるでしょう。

The weather will probably be sunny tomorrow.

PoliteNon PastAffirmativeSentence EndingConjecturalWeather & Geography

彼はもうこのパーティーには来ないだろう。

He probably won't come to this party anymore.

CasualNon PastNegativeSentence EndingConjecturalDaily Life

昨日の試験は、かなり難しかったでしょう？

Yesterday's exam was quite difficult, wasn't it?

PolitePastAffirmativeSentence EndingConjecturalEducation

このデータから、来年の市場は成長するだろうと考えられます。

From this data, it is conceivable that the market will probably grow next year.

FormalNon PastAffirmativeMid SentenceConjecturalBusiness & Finance Science & Math

あの建物は新しい美術館だろう。

That building is probably the new art museum.

CasualNon PastAffirmativeSentence EndingConjecturalArt & Design Culture & Traditions

Using でしょう is like wearing a suit. It is polite. Use it with people you do not know well. Using だろう is like wearing casual clothes. It is informal. Use it with friends or family. Using the wrong one can sound strange.

This is different from other phrases. 'でしょう' is a soft guess. '〜に違いない' means you are very sure. '〜はずだ' means you expect something to be true. Use 'でしょう' when you are not very certain.

Watch out: Do not use "deshou" for things you know about yourself. For example, do not say "I am a student, probably." This sounds strange. You know you are a student. Use "desu" or "da" instead.

Use this when you want to ask someone to agree with you. You think something is true. You expect them to say yes. For example, 'It's hot today, isn't it?'

Contrasts with(2)

〜に違いない

This phrase means you are very sure about something. You have good reasons to believe it.

です

This word means 'is' or 'am' or 'are'. You use it at the end of a sentence. It makes your sentence polite.

More formal alternatives(3)

〜だろ

You add だろ to the end of a sentence. It shows you are very sure about something. You might also use it to ask for agreement.

〜でしょ

You use this word at the end of a sentence. It asks if someone agrees with you. You use it when you are sure they will say yes.

〜よね

You add 〜よね to a sentence. You use it to check if someone agrees with you. You think they already know what you are saying.

辞書形

This is the basic form of a verb. It is what you find in a dictionary. You use it to make other verb forms.

〜い / 〜かった

This is the basic form of an い-adjective. It describes a quality of something. You use it for present or past qualities.

〜だ / 〜だった

This means 'is' or 'was'. It is the casual way to say 〜です and 〜でした.

Track your mastery

Kumi's KMT system tracks your mastery across kanji, vocabulary, grammar, and reading. Create a free account to use it on 220,000+ concepts.

Dictionary

〜でしょう / 〜だろう

You use this to make a guess. It means 'probably' or 'I think'. You are not very sure.

N4 KMT3NeutralStandardAuxiliary ConstructionMixedConjecture From EvidenceGrammar

Verb [dictionary form] + でしょうPrimary

い-Adjective + でしょう

な-Adjective + でしょう

Noun + でしょう

Clause + だろう

You use this to make a guess. It means 'probably' or 'I think'. You are not very sure.

明日の天気は晴れるでしょう。

The weather will probably be sunny tomorrow.

PoliteNon PastAffirmativeSentence EndingConjecturalWeather & Geography

彼はもうこのパーティーには来ないだろう。

He probably won't come to this party anymore.

CasualNon PastNegativeSentence EndingConjecturalDaily Life

昨日の試験は、かなり難しかったでしょう？

Yesterday's exam was quite difficult, wasn't it?

PolitePastAffirmativeSentence EndingConjecturalEducation

このデータから、来年の市場は成長するだろうと考えられます。

From this data, it is conceivable that the market will probably grow next year.

FormalNon PastAffirmativeMid SentenceConjecturalBusiness & Finance Science & Math

あの建物は新しい美術館だろう。

That building is probably the new art museum.

CasualNon PastAffirmativeSentence EndingConjecturalArt & Design Culture & Traditions

Watch out: Do not use "deshou" for things you know about yourself. For example, do not say "I am a student, probably." This sounds strange. You know you are a student. Use "desu" or "da" instead.

Use this when you want to ask someone to agree with you. You think something is true. You expect them to say yes. For example, 'It's hot today, isn't it?'

Contrasts with(2)

〜に違いない

This phrase means you are very sure about something. You have good reasons to believe it.

です

This word means 'is' or 'am' or 'are'. You use it at the end of a sentence. It makes your sentence polite.

More formal alternatives(3)

〜だろ

You add だろ to the end of a sentence. It shows you are very sure about something. You might also use it to ask for agreement.

〜でしょ

You use this word at the end of a sentence. It asks if someone agrees with you. You use it when you are sure they will say yes.

〜よね

You add 〜よね to a sentence. You use it to check if someone agrees with you. You think they already know what you are saying.

辞書形

This is the basic form of a verb. It is what you find in a dictionary. You use it to make other verb forms.

〜い / 〜かった

This is the basic form of an い-adjective. It describes a quality of something. You use it for present or past qualities.

〜だ / 〜だった

This means 'is' or 'was'. It is the casual way to say 〜です and 〜でした.

Track your mastery

Kumi's KMT system tracks your mastery across kanji, vocabulary, grammar, and reading. Create a free account to use it on 220,000+ concepts.

〜でしょう / 〜だろう

Patterns5

Meaning

Examples5

Nuance1

Contrasts1

Common Mistakes1

Discourse Function1

Compare with5

Contrasts with(2)

More formal alternatives(3)

Prerequisites3

Track your mastery

〜でしょう / 〜だろう

Patterns5

Meaning

Examples5

Nuance1

Contrasts1

Common Mistakes1

Discourse Function1

Compare with5

Contrasts with(2)

More formal alternatives(3)

Prerequisites3

Track your mastery