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JLPT N4

〜でしょう

Probably / I think... (presumption)

Structure

Plain form of verb / い-adjective + でしょう、な-adjective・noun + でしょう

Expresses the speaker's guess or presumption about something, often paired with words like たぶん (probably). Softer and less certain than a plain declarative statement.

Examples

  • 明日はたぶん晴れるでしょう。

    あしたはたぶんはれるでしょう。

    It will probably be sunny tomorrow.

  • 彼はもう家に着いたでしょう。

    かれはもういえについたでしょう。

    He has probably already arrived home.

  • 明日の会議は何時に始まるでしょうか。

    あしたのかいぎはなんじにはじまるでしょうか。

    I wonder what time tomorrow's meeting will start.

  • この問題は簡単ではないでしょう。

    このもんだいはかんたんではないでしょう。

    This problem is probably not easy.

  • 明日は雨が降らないだろう。

    あしたはあめがふらないだろう。

    It probably won't rain tomorrow.

  • 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, right?

Common mistakes

  • Confusing でしょう (a soft guess/presumption) with です (a plain, confident assertion of fact) — replacing です with でしょう when you are certain sounds oddly hesitant, and using です when you're actually unsure sounds overconfident; でしょう softens the statement into 'probably.'
  • Treating でしょうか as exactly the same as a plain question ending in か — でしょうか is a softer, more indirect way to wonder or ask something (何時でしょうか, 'I wonder what time it is'), while plain か (何時ですか) is a direct, neutral question.
  • Incorrectly inserting な before でしょう after na-adjectives or nouns by analogy with patterns like のに/なら — でしょう attaches directly without な (incorrect: 静かなでしょう; correct: 静かでしょう).

How it's different from similar grammar

  • はず（だ）

    はず expresses a fairly confident logical expectation based on known facts or reasoning: 彼はもう出発したはずです (He should have already left — I know his schedule, so I'm fairly sure). でしょう expresses a softer, more general guess with less certainty behind it: 彼はもう出発したでしょう (He has probably already left — just my impression, less certain).

  • かもしれない

    かもしれない expresses a weaker possibility ('might/may happen'), lower confidence than でしょう: 明日は雨が降るかもしれません (It might rain tomorrow — just a possibility I'm considering). でしょう implies the speaker thinks the outcome is fairly likely: 明日は雨が降るでしょう (It will probably rain tomorrow — a more confident guess).

How this shows up on the JLPT

N4 tests recognizing でしょう/だろう as expressing degrees of certainty, often together with たぶん, and reading/listening sections test the rising-intonation でしょう？used to seek agreement, as well as distinguishing its confidence level from はず and かもしれない.

Quick check (3 questions)

  • 1. Choose the word that correctly completes the blank: 天気予報によると、明日は＿＿でしょう。(According to the forecast, it will probably be sunny tomorrow.)

  • 2. Which sentence correctly means 'This problem is probably not easy'?

  • 3. A friend asks「このケーキ、おいしいでしょう？」with rising intonation. What is closest to the meaning of でしょう here?

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