〜でしょう / 〜だろう: Probably & Seeking Agreement (N5)
What it means
でしょう softens a statement into a guess or invites the listener to agree. As a conjecture it means "probably," "likely," "I bet," or "it will be" — you're not certain, just estimating. Said with a rising tone at the end, 〜でしょう？ turns into "right?" / "isn't it?", checking that the listener sees it the same way. The tone (and the question mark) is what tells the two uses apart.
明日は雨でしょう。
あしたは あめでしょう。
It will probably rain tomorrow.
Conjecture — a soft prediction, classic forecast style.
ヤッタンはもう寝ているでしょう。
ヤッタンは もう ねて いるでしょう。
Yattan is probably asleep already.
この本、おもしろいでしょう？
この ほん、おもしろいでしょう？
This book is interesting, right?
Rising tone — seeking agreement, not a guess.
How to form it
でしょう attaches to the plain form of verbs and い-adjectives. With nouns and な-adjectives it follows the plain stem directly — you drop だ and add でしょう (so it's 学生でしょう, never 学生だでしょう).
| Attaches to | Plain form | + でしょう |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | 降る (to fall/rain) | 降るでしょう |
| い-adjective | おいしい | おいしいでしょう |
| な-adjective | 静か(だ) | 静かでしょう |
| Noun | 学生(だ) | 学生でしょう |
The casual equivalent of でしょう is だろう, formed the same way: 降るだろう, おいしいだろう, 静かだろう, 学生だろう.
Conjecture: "probably"
This is the everyday "I'm guessing" use. It makes a claim gentler and less direct than plain です/だ, which is why it sounds polite.
先生は明日来るでしょう。
せんせいは あした くるでしょう。
The teacher will probably come tomorrow.
モチの部屋は静かでしょう。
モチの へやは しずかでしょう。
Mochi's room is probably quiet.
な-adjective: 静か + でしょう, no だ.
あの人はヤッタンの弟でしょう。
あの ひとは ヤッタンの おとうとでしょう。
That person is probably Yattan's little brother.
Noun: 弟 + でしょう.
Seeking agreement: "right?"
With a falling-then-rising tone and a question mark, 〜でしょう？ asks the listener to agree with something you both can see or know. It expects a "yes."
この ケーキ、おいしいでしょう？
この ケーキ、おいしいでしょう？
This cake is delicious, isn't it?
日本語の勉強は大変でしょう？
にほんごの べんきょうは たいへんでしょう？
Studying Japanese is tough, right?
Casual だろう
Among friends or family, swap でしょう for だろう. It carries the same two meanings — guess and "right?" — but is plain/casual rather than polite. For politeness, the order runs でしょう > だろう (でしょう is the safe choice with anyone you'd use です with).
モチはもう帰っただろう。
モチは もう かえっただろう。
Mochi has probably gone home already.
Casual conjecture.
この ラーメン、うまいだろう？
この ラーメン、うまいだろう？
This ramen's good, right?
Casual 'right?' — said to a friend.
A note on forecasts and polite guesses
You'll hear でしょう constantly in weather forecasts — 明日は晴れでしょう ("it'll be sunny tomorrow") — because a forecast is exactly an educated guess. It's also the go-to when you want to state something carefully without sounding too sure, which makes it feel courteous in everyday conversation.
Common mistakes
- Leaving だ before でしょう. With nouns and な-adjectives, drop だ: 学生でしょう (✓), not 学生だでしょう (✗).
- Adding です after it. でしょう is already polite — don't write でしょうです. (です itself becomes でしょう.)
- Mixing up the two uses by tone. A flat/falling でしょう = "probably"; a rising でしょう？ = "right?". Punctuate and intonate accordingly.
- Using だろう with someone you should be polite to. だろう is casual; with teachers, strangers, or customers, use でしょう.
Quick recap
- でしょう = "probably" (falling tone) or "right?" (rising tone, with ？).
- Attaches to plain verbs/い-adjectives; for nouns/な-adjectives, drop だ and add でしょう.
- Casual form is だろう; politeness runs でしょう > だろう.
- Forecasts and polite, careful guesses lean on でしょう a lot.
Your turn
Choose the correct form and use of でしょう / だろう.
Start the 5-question drill →Take the full N5 〜でしょう drill →
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between です and でしょう?
です states something as a fact. でしょう softens it into a guess ('probably') or a request for agreement ('right?'). でしょう is already polite, so you never combine them as でしょうです.
How do I tell 'probably' from 'right?'
Tone and punctuation. A falling tone with a period means 'probably' (明日は雨でしょう). A rising tone with a question mark means 'right?' (おいしいでしょう？).
When should I use だろう instead of でしょう?
だろう is the casual version, for friends and family. でしょう is polite, for teachers, strangers, and any situation where you'd use です. They mean the same thing.
Do I keep だ before でしょう with nouns?
No. Drop だ: 学生でしょう, 静かでしょう. 学生だでしょう is incorrect.