Japanese Grammar Bank

EXPRESSING AN OPINION IN JAPANESE

In Japanese, expressing subjective opinions and assumptions often uses the forms だろう (darou) and でしょう (deshou).

These expressions allow speakers to convey a sense of probability or likelihood, adding subtlety to opinions and predictions in conversation.

USING だろう

だろう (darō) is used to show that the speaker has a reason to speculate something.

It can give the nuance of “probably” to sentences.

You can directly connect だろう with any element such as verbs, adjectives, and nouns in both their positive and negative forms.

PATTERN

Verb / い-adjective / な-adjective / Noun + だろう

明日はきっといい日になるだろう。Ashita wa kittto ii hi ni naru darou.Most probably tomorrow will be a good day.
彼はとても健康な人だから、風邪を引くことはないだろう。Kare wa totemo kenkou na hito dakara, kaze wo hiku koto wa nai darou.He may not catch a cold because he has a very good health.
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彼は若く見えるから、おそらく学生だろう。Kare wa wakaku mieru kara osoraku gakusei darou.He may be a student because he looks young.
この映画は人気があるから、きっとおもしろいだろう。Kono eiga wa ninki ga aru kara, kitto omoshiroi darou.This movie must be interesting because it is very popular.
あの家族は大きな家に住んでいるから、きっとお金持ちだろう。Ano kazoku wa ookina ie ni sunde iru kara, kitto okanemochi darou.I assume that family is very rich because they live in such a big house.
あの人はとても歌がうまいから、歌手だっただろう。Ano hito wa totemo uta ga umai kara, kashu datta darou.I assume he was a singer because he sings very well.
息子は教えるのが好きだから、将来学校の先生になるだろう。Musuko wa oshieru no ga suki dakara, shourai gakko no sensei ni naru darou.I guess my son will become a school teacher because he likes to teach others.

だろう is mainly used to express your speculation, but it can also be used to seek confirmation.

だろう makes your sentence sound like a confirmation question when you share speculation about something that you think your listener knows about.

うちの娘かわいいだろう？Uchi no musume kawaii darou?My daughter is pretty, right?
僕のおにぎり食べただろう!?Boku no onigiri tabeta darou!?You ate my onigiri, right!?
早く起きなさいと言っただろう？Hayaku oki nasai to itta darou?I told you to wake up early, right?

USING でしょう

でしょう is practically the same as だろう.

It is a more formal and polite way of expressing your subjective opinions than だろう.

だろう sounds more masculine, but on the other hand, でしょう can be used by anyone and at any occasion

PATTERN

Verb / い-adjective / な-adjective / Noun + でしょう

来週は雨が続くでしょう。Raishuu wa ame ga tsuduku deshou.Rain may continue next week.
たくさん働いたから今月の給料はいつもより多いでしょう。Takusan hataraita kara kongetsu no kyuuryou wa itsumo yori ooi deshou.I think I will receive more salary than usual because I worked a lot this month.
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妹は来年日本に行くでしょう。Imouto wa rainen nihon ni iku deshou.My younger sister may visit Japan next year.
今年の冬はかなり寒いでしょう。Kotoshi no huyu wa kanari samui deshou.As for this winter, it will probably be so cold.
薬を飲んだから明日には元気になるでしょう。Kusuri wo nonda kara asu ni wa genki ni naru deshou.I will probably be alright by tomorrow as I just took medicine.
頑張って勉強すればきっと良い大学に行けるでしょう。Ganbatte benkyou sureba kitto ii daigaku ni ikeru deshou.If you study hard, you should be able to get into a good university.

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FAQs

What’s the difference between だろう and でしょう when expressing opinions?

Both だろう and でしょう indicate conjecture or assumption, but だろう is more casual and often used in informal contexts, while でしょう adds a level of politeness, making it more appropriate for formal situations or when speaking to people you don’t know well.

How do だろう and でしょう compare with ～と思う (to omou) when giving an opinion?

While ～と思う (to omou) clearly states “I think…,” だろう and でしょう imply a less certain, more speculative opinion, closer to “probably” or “I assume.” For example, “今日は雨だろう” (Kyou wa ame darou) suggests “It’s probably going to rain today,” without explicitly stating “I think.”

Can I use だろう and でしょう for questions, or are they only for statements?

Yes, you can use them in questions, especially to invite agreement or confirmation. For instance, saying “この映画、面白いでしょう?” (Kono eiga, omoshiroi deshou?) means “This movie is interesting, isn’t it?” and encourages the listener to agree with your opinion.

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