でしょう

This grammar point appears often in beginner conversations, textbooks, and JLPT-style reading questions. If you want to sound less certain and more polite when predicting something, でしょう is a useful pattern to learn early because it connects directly to everyday communication.

What does でしょう mean?

Use でしょう when you want to express probability or invite agreement in polite Japanese.

Natural translations include:

• probably
• I suppose
• right?

The exact English translation changes with context. The important point is to understand what job the pattern is doing in the sentence, not to memorize only one English phrase.

How to form でしょう

Examples of the pattern:

• 雨あめが降ふるでしょう
• 便利べんりでしょう
• 先生せんせいでしょう

Pay attention to the form that comes before the grammar point. Many beginner mistakes happen because the learner understands the meaning but attaches the pattern to the wrong word form.

When is でしょう used?

Use でしょう in situations like:

• weather forecasts
• polite guesses
• confirmation questions

Tone and register:

• polite and neutral
• Common in daily speech, textbook examples, and beginner JLPT questions

でしょう example sentences

Read the Japanese sentence first, then check whether the English translation matches the feeling of the whole sentence. This helps you avoid translating each piece too literally.

Nuance of でしょう

The key nuance is polite probability or shared expectation.

This matters because learners often know the dictionary meaning but miss the speaker’s intention. In real Japanese, grammar points show attitude, politeness, contrast, certainty, desire, or context. For でしょう, focus on how the pattern changes the role of the sentence.

For example:

• In conversation, it can sound softer and safer than blunt certainty.
• Compared with だろう, it feels more polite and less rough.

でしょう vs だろう

Both でしょう and だろう can be related in beginner Japanese, but they are different.

If you are unsure which one to use, ask what the sentence is trying to do: define something, ask something, show a reason, mark a subject, describe a desire, or connect ideas.

Common mistakes with でしょう

A good study habit is to make one simple original sentence, then change only one part of it. That makes the function of the grammar point easier to see.

Is でしょう on the JLPT?

For test preparation, do not only memorize the English gloss. Practice identifying the word before and after the grammar point, because JLPT questions often test structure and context together.

Practice questions for でしょう

Keep the sentences short at first. Once the form feels natural, add time words, places, reasons, or contrast to make the sentence more realistic.

Learning path for でしょう

Related grammar to review next

• のです — builds control over questions, confirmation, guessing, and explanation endings.
• だろう — builds control over questions, confirmation, guessing, and explanation endings.
• ね — builds control over questions, confirmation, guessing, and explanation endings.
• はどうですか — builds control over questions, confirmation, guessing, and explanation endings.

Learn でしょう with Hane

If you want to review でしょう together with the related patterns above, Hane helps you practice Japanese in short, focused sessions.

Browse more lessons here:

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• JLPT N5 grammar lessons