Probably: ～でしょう
Plain form + でしょう
Plain form (noun and な-adjective without だ) + でしょう = probably. Rising: でしょう？ = isn't it?
In short
でしょう expresses a guess: “probably”, “I think”. あしたは あめでしょう (it will probably rain tomorrow). With a rising intonation, でしょう？ asks for confirmation.
- あしたは あめが ふるでしょう。ashita wa ame ga furu deshōIt will probably rain tomorrow.
- かれは もう かえったでしょう。kare wa mō kaetta deshōHe's probably already gone home.
- あの レストランは 高いでしょう。ano resutoran wa takai deshōThat restaurant must be expensive.
The basics
でしょう expresses a guess: “probably, no doubt”. You hear it in TV weather forecasts. It goes after the plain form of a verb or adjective, or directly after a noun.
- あしたは 雨が ふるでしょう。ashita wa ame ga furu deshōTomorrow, it will probably rain.
- 田中さんは 来ないでしょう。tanaka-san wa konai deshōMr Tanaka probably won't come.
What goes before でしょう
The plain form, except for nouns and な-adjectives, which drop だ.
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| verb | 行くでしょう／行ったでしょう |
| い-adjective | さむいでしょう |
| な-adjective | しずかでしょう |
| noun | 雨でしょう |
でしょう？: isn't it?
With a rising intonation, でしょう asks for confirmation, like ね: “right?”. In casual speech, you hear だろう and でしょ.
- あした テストが あるでしょう？ashita tesuto ga aru deshō?We have a test tomorrow, right?
Common mistakes
- Using the ます-form: “行きますでしょう” is wrong, it's 行くでしょう.
- Keeping だ: “雨だでしょう” is wrong, it's 雨でしょう.
- Mixing up でしょう (probably) and でした (it was).
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Sōbu Line (Giving and receiving) of the Tokyo subway.