Japanese often favors indirectness and soft statements over firm declarations. One way to express uncertainty or seek agreement is with the grammar points でしょう and だろう. These words let you say something is probably true or check whether someone agrees with you. This is perfect for when you want to sound polite or humble about a guess or assumption.
でしょう / だろう
Probably / Isn’t it? / I bet
Usage Pattern
Noun + でしょう / だろう
い-adjective + でしょう / だろう
な-adjective + でしょう / だろう
Verb (short form) + でしょう / だろう
Details
JLPT Level: N4
How to Use It
Use でしょう to express a polite guess or to check whether someone agrees with you. It can appear with present or past tense and attaches to short-form verbs, adjectives, or nouns. In formal situations or public speech (like weather forecasts), でしょう is preferred. だろう means the same thing but sounds more casual or masculine. It’s often used in speech among friends or by men. Don’t use だろう with someone above you socially use でしょう instead. You’ll also hear shortened forms like でしょ (casual), and even slangy versions like っしょ or だろ.
Want A Deeper Explanation?
Example 1
今日は寒いでしょう。
きょう は さむい でしょう。
Kyō wa samui deshō.
It’s probably cold today.
Example 2
明日は雨が降るでしょう。
あした は あめ が ふる でしょう。
Ashita wa ame ga furu deshō.
It will probably rain tomorrow.
Example 3
あれは彼のかばんだろう。
あれ は かれ の かばん だろう。
Are wa kare no kaban darō.
That’s probably his bag.