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I think A; Probably A
  1. I think A; Probably A
  2. Don't you think A?; A, right?
    This is the meaning when read as a question (with a rising inflection on the end). Asks for confirmation from the listener about A.
  3. I wonder if A; I was wondering if A
    Polite form of かな; used in requests.
屹きっ度と合ごう格かくす る で し ょ う 。 
I think you'll surely pass (the test).
27
若 し 万 一 外 国 へ 行 く と 為 れ ば 、 仏蘭西 に 為 る で し ょ う 。 
If I happen to end up going abroad I'd probably go for France.
0
37
多 分 彼 ら は 車 で 来 る で し ょ う 。 
Probably they will come by car.
3
31
多 分 彼 は 間 も な く 来 る で し ょ う 。 
Probably he will come soon.
0
12
貴方 も 直 ぐ 騒 音 に は 慣 れ る で し ょ う 。 
You will soon get accustomed to the noises.
0
8
此 の 薬 を 飲 め ば 、 気 分 が う ん と 良 く 成 る で し ょ う 。 
Take this medicine, and you'll feel a lot better.
0
16
此 の 旅 行 は い い 思 い 出 に な る で し ょ う 。 
This trip will become a pleasant memory.
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4
此 れ は 椅 子 の 代 わ り を 為 る で し ょ う 。 
This will do for a chair.
0
11
両 親 が 認 め て 呉 れ た ら 貴方 は 幸 せ で し ょ う 。 
You'll be happy if your parents approve.
0
5
其 の 花 は 直 ぐ に 咲 く で し ょ う 。 
This flower will probably bloom soon.
0
10
良 い 庭 が 付 い て 居 れ ば 家 の 価 値 を 高 め る で し ょ う 。 
If you have a good garden it will enhance the value of your house.
0
9
温 泉 は 貴方 に 効 く で し ょ う 。 
The hot spring will do you good.
0
8
会 議 は その 内 始 ま る で し ょ う 。 
The conference will commence in due course.
0
20
恐 ら く 明日 は 晴 れ で し ょ う 。 
It will be fine weather tomorrow, I dare say.
0
14
今 夜 は 冷 え る で し ょ う 。 
It will cool down tonight.
0
4
多 分 ジェーン は 来 る で し ょ う 。 
Maybe Jane will come.
0

Getting the sentences
Construction
(Elements in parentheses are optional.)
Aい-adjective
でしょう
Aな-adjective -な
 
ANoun
 
AVerb: Dictionary Form
 
 
でしょう
Related Expressions
だろう
Where this grammar is found


Grammar usage notes

~でしょう typically implies you have some knowledge to back up your information.
20
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モモ姫
Level: 1
1. でしょう / だろう　is used when you are guessing or proposing something which is not based on any particular information or evidence.
2. When used with たぶん your conjecture sounds more certain ("most probably..."). When used with きっと, even more certain (I'm almost certain...).
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火曜
Level: 61

Questions/Discussion

Nothing posted yet!
 
Don't you think A?; A, right?
This is the meaning when read as a question (with a rising inflection on the end). Asks for confirmation from the listener about A.
  1. I think A; Probably A
  2. Don't you think A?; A, right?
    This is the meaning when read as a question (with a rising inflection on the end). Asks for confirmation from the listener about A.
  3. I wonder if A; I was wondering if A
    Polite form of かな; used in requests.
19
彼 女 の 演 奏 、 素 晴 ら し い で し ょ う ？ 
Her performance was wonderful, don't you think?
1
11
如何 し て 一 緒 じ ゃ な い の 、 道 子 を 迎 え に 行 っ た 乃 で し ょ う ？ 
Why aren't you together, you went out to meet Michiko, right?
0
14
中 川 君 の 家 な ら 、 10 人 く ら い 集 ま っ て も 大 丈 夫 で し ょ ？ 
If it's Mr. Nakagawa's house, around ten people can get together (fit), don't you think?
0
16
６ 時 の 新 幹 線 に 未 だ 間 に 合 う で し ょ う か 。 
Can we still catch the 6:00 Shinkansen?
0
14
長 旅 で 嘸 お 疲 れ で し ょ う 。 
You're surely tired after the long trip.
0
8
此 の 薬 を 飲 め ば 、 気 分 が う ん と 良 く 成 る で し ょ う 。 
Take this medicine, and you'll feel a lot better.
0
11
両 親 が 認 め て 呉 れ た ら 貴方 は 幸 せ で し ょ う 。 
You'll be happy if your parents approve.
0
4
此 れ は 椅 子 の 代 わ り を 為 る で し ょ う 。 
This will do for a chair.
0
12
食 料 品 の 値 段 は 直 ぐ に 下 が る で し ょ う ね 。 
Food prices will come down soon, won't they?
0
3
東 京 に 台 風 は 来 る の で し ょ う か 。 
Do you think the typhoon will hit Tokyo?
0
8
なんて 美 し い 眺 め で し ょ う 。 
What a beautiful view!
0
19
なんて 愉 快 な 話 で し ょ う ！ 
What a cheerful story!
0
3
なんと 美 し い 日 の 出 で し ょ う 。 
How beautiful a sunrise it is!
0
10
軈 て キ ャ ン パ ス の 桜 の 花 が 咲 く で し ょ う 。 
It will not be long before the cherry blossoms on our campus come out.
0
10
良 い 庭 が 付 い て 居 れ ば 家 の 価 値 を 高 め る で し ょ う 。 
If you have a good garden it will enhance the value of your house.
0
9
温 泉 は 貴方 に 効 く で し ょ う 。 
The hot spring will do you good.
0
16
なんて 良 い 思 い つ き な の で し ょ う 。 
What a good idea!
0
14
今 夜 は 冷 え る で し ょ う 。 
It will cool down tonight.
0
12
少 し 反 省 為 れ ば 、 君 は 間 違 っ て 居 る こと が 分 か る で し ょ う 。 
If you reflect a little, I think you'll see that you are mistaken.
0
4
多 分 ジェーン は 来 る で し ょ う 。 
Maybe Jane will come.
0
11
夕 べ ラ ジ オ を 消 し 忘 れ た で し ょ う 。 
Last night you forgot to turn off the radio, didn't you?
0
16
此 の 料 理 は 20 分 程 掛 か り ま す が 、 大 丈 夫 で し ょ う か ？ 
This dish will take twenty minutes, is that OK?
0
17
別 べつ で 払 い た い ん で す が 、 大 丈 夫 で し ょ う か ？ 
We'd like to pay separate checks, is that ok?
0
3
幾 ら 忙 し く て も 、 電 話 す る く ら い の 時 間 は 有 る で し ょ ？ 
No matter how busy you are, you have time for at least a phone call, right?
0
20
恐 ら く 明日 は 晴 れ で し ょ う 。 
It will be fine weather tomorrow, I dare say.
0
43
お 母 さ ん に 隠 す こと は ない で し ょ う 、 言 っ て ご 覧 。 
It's not necessary to hide that from Mom. Try telling her.
0
4
彼処 に 大 き な 白 い ビ ル が 見 え る で し ょ う 。 
Can you see the big white building over there?
0
7
貴方 が 帰 国 為 さ る 頃 に は 、 桜 は 皆 散 っ て 仕 舞 っ て 居 る こと で し ょ う 。 
By the time you get home, all the cherry blossoms will have fallen.
0

Getting the sentences
Construction
(Elements in parentheses are optional.)
Aい-adjective
でしょう
AClause or Sentence
でしょ
Related Expressions
だろう
Where this grammar is found


Grammar usage notes

Nothing posted yet!

Questions/Discussion

I’m having a lot of trouble discerning the 3 different usages of でしょう from one another. Is there a simple way to tell them apart or is it all just contextual?

I suspect it could just be me and that I just need to practice more but I feel like every time I think it’s “I wonder” it turns out to be one of the other ones and vice versa!
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1. でしょう with a question :
This will mostly be when you are uncertain , meaning, that you 50/50 know that it is something you know, but you still want to confirm. So that would be, 'Don't you think?' or 'right?' and would end in a 'rising tone' . The nuance with ね is that when using this, you want the listener to kind of acknowledge and 'agree' to your question. Using でしょう lets you ask something without coming across as too pushy.
Like : この映画は面白かったですね => This movie was interesting wasn't it?

2. でしょうか :
=> This is fairly simple, the english equivalent is "I wonder if . . " as listed below. Ex :ラーメンが好きでしょうか。( I wonder if you like ramen. ). The speaker is questioning the listener about something they're not certain of. It's what makes the speaker "worried" about something. It doesn't mean talking to yourself, you are asking someone else.

3. Simple でしょう :
=> The English equivalent will be ~probably/I think. It's the polite form of ＃##だろう. "でしょう" is used when the speaker makes a JUDGEMENT or GUESS but without absolute certainty.
A crucial information is that you cannot use でしょう for your own actions that are predictable in the future.
Like : 来年は日本に行くでしょう。= this will be wrong and you would use と思う.
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I wonder if A; I was wondering if A
Polite form of かな; used in requests.
  1. I think A; Probably A
  2. Don't you think A?; A, right?
    This is the meaning when read as a question (with a rising inflection on the end). Asks for confirmation from the listener about A.
  3. I wonder if A; I was wondering if A
    Polite form of かな; used in requests.
34
来 週 休 み を 取 っ て も 宜 し い で し ょ う か 。 
I was wondering, could I take my vacation next week?
3
23
車 に 乗 せ て 頂 け な い で し ょ う か 。 
I was wondering if you could give me a lift?
0
22
貴方 か ら の 最 新 の メ ー ル が 見 つ か り ま せ ん 。 再 送 為 て 頂 け る で し ょ う か 。 
I can't seem to find your last email, I wonder if you can resend it to me?
0
23
２ 、 ３ 日 御 車 を 御 貸 し 頂 け な い で し ょ う か 。 
I wonder if you would mind lending me your car for a couple of days?
0
16
６ 時 の 新 幹 線 に 未 だ 間 に 合 う で し ょ う か 。 
Can we still catch the 6:00 Shinkansen?
0
9
何時 が 御 都 合 宜 し い で し ょ う か 。 
When would it be convenient for you?
0

Getting the sentences
Construction
(Elements in parentheses are optional.)
Aい-adjective
 
AVerb: Dictionary Form
 
ANoun
 
Aな-adjective -な
 
 
でしょう
Where this grammar is found


Grammar usage notes

For this meaning, it is best if you add "か" to the end of でしょう. It will give your sentence an inflection, which begs a "question" versus "I'm telling you ____".
21
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モモ姫
Level: 1
this pattern is often used with words like 宜しい (宜しいでしょうか - is it ok/all right)，いかが（いかがでしょう - how about)，and どう (どうでしょう - how about)
18
0
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mysticfive
Level: 2462

Questions/Discussion

Nothing posted yet!

Discussion about this grammar
This section has been archived, and no new posts can be added. Please use the discussion form(s) above.
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宮本勝利
Level: 1
~でしょう can also be used as the polite form of ~かな when used in requests. For example, 推薦状を書いて頂けないでしょうか・・・ (Eng.: I was wondering if you could possibly write me a recommendation?) vs. 推薦状を書いてもらえないかな・・・
4
17 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 346
Added (Meaning #3). I'm going to adjust the 'suggest model' form so you can search on Japanese and English; it'd be much easier if it was possible to search on 'でしょう' and 'wonder'.
0
17 years ago
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奈落の花
Level: 1
In the second and third model sentences of the second meaning shouldn't it be "たぶんあれらはくるまでくるでしょう"　instead of "たぶんあれらはくるまできるでしょう?"
くる　not　きる
0
17 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 346
Thanks - there was a problem with the conjugation engine built into the site. It should be fixed now!!
0
17 years ago
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Level:
I think there's another usage of でしょう. It is basically the equivalent of adding the word "right" to the end of a question sentence in English, and has the same rising intonation: スーパーに行くんでしょ？ -- You're going to the supermarket, right? これは彼女の袋でしょ？ -- This is her bag, right? Note that the final vowel 「う」 is truncated; this isn't a requirement but it is very common, and it's obvious when you hear it spoken that it isn't drawn out as much as 「でしょう」.
1
15 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 346
Do you think that could be blended into the second meaning on the page?
0
15 years ago
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Level:
I do, and I had almost wrote a usage note for it, but I was thinking that it would be a lot less confusing if you could integrate it into the definition somehow, maybe something like: [b]Don't you think A?; A, right?[/b] I think if you added that, plus if you could drum up an accuracy-checked example for each of the two meanings, that would be plenty clear enough.
0
15 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 346
Added！ (-ω-)
1
15 years ago
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Kiara1703
Level: 1
Is there any rule when to use でしょう and when でしょ? Usually I only see the longer version.
1
14 years ago
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できるだけ
Level: 28
でしょ is more casual - you'll hear it a lot in speech, but it's not generally used in writing except for dialogue.
2
14 years ago
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benny123
Level: 1
so this is like question tag in english?
0
13 years ago
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Kaji
Level: 1
That description is usually tied to the ending particle ね, but that said it's not an unfair comparison. Depending on the tone it can be used to convey that something is speculation (その物が必要ないでしょう。 "That thing probably isn't necessary."), as opposed to simply seeking confirmation. It also is used as a replacement for です in some contexts to sound more polite, as it is less direct (e.g. お客さんいかがでしょうか？ "How are you [customer] doing?").
0
13 years ago
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shirokitsune
Level: 1778
Ok so I am playing though the dragon quest series (or dragon warrior if you grew up playing the American version) and I came across 「どんな御用でしょう？」 I am reading this along the lines of "What's your business?" but that does not really follow any of the uses listed here. Is it more like "I wonder what your business is?" Just wondering about this usage and a possible nuance of the Japanese language.
0
12 years ago
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mysticfive
Level: 2462
[quote author=shirokitsune link=topic_id=4942&post_id=34457#rmsg_34457 date=1410611659]Ok so I am playing though the dragon quest series (or dragon warrior if you grew up playing the American version) and I came across 「どんな御用でしょう？」 I am reading this along the lines of "What's your business?" but that does not really follow any of the uses listed here. Is it more like "I wonder what your business is?" Just wondering about this usage and a possible nuance of the Japanese language.[/quote] That is the classic Japanese ask-a-question-without-actually-asking-anything bit. In Japanese it can often seem too direct (and thus rude) to openly ask a question, so でしょう can kind of replace ですか in those situations. It's the same type of thing as someone saying something like お手洗いに行きたいんですが。。。 as a way of asking someone where the bathroom is.
2
12 years ago
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bi167
Level: 1

Hii!! What about the meaning of "アレでしょ"???(@_@)

0
11 years ago
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Jack Bosma
Level: 16

Right?

0
11 years ago
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Jack Bosma
Level: 16
http://jisho.org/search/%E3%81%A7%E3%81%97%E3%82%8...
0
11 years ago
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garvins18
Level: 1

Wouldn't it be a little better to clarify how to properly construct this grammar pattern? For instance:


Verb plain-formでしょう
い-adjective plain-formでしょう
な-adjective plain-form (～だ)でしょう
Noun plain-form (～だ)でしょう
2
10 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 346

Excellent idea, and done!

0
10 years ago


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