でしょう/だろう（確認）

Right?/Isn't It?

Level 2Sounds Like deshou/darou

でしょう (polite) and だろう (casual) are used with a rising intonation to ask for confirmation. They imply the speaker has an opinion or observation and wants the listener to agree.

How It Works

でしょう (polite) and だろう (casual) are the presumptive forms of the copula. When used for confirmation, they must be spoken with a rising intonation.

1. Usage Nuance:
Unlike the particle ね, which is used for things both people clearly know, でしょう is often used when the speaker is presenting their own inference and asking the listener to confirm it. It can range from a gentle 'Don't you think?' to a more assertive 'I told you so!' depending on the tone.

2. Formation Rules:
でしょう and だろう attach to the plain form of verbs and adjectives in various tenses:

  • Verbs: Plain form (Present/Past/Negative) + でしょう/だろう (e.g., 行く（いく）でしょう, 行った（いった）でしょう, 行かない（いかない）でしょう).
  • I-Adjectives: Plain form (Present/Past/Negative) + でしょう/だろう (e.g., 高い（たかい）でしょう, 高かった（たかかった）でしょう, 高くない（たかくない）でしょう).
  • Na-Adjectives: Stem only + でしょう/だろう (e.g., きれいでしょう). Do not use だ for the present tense. For past/negative, use the plain forms (e.g., きれいだったでしょう).
  • Nouns: Noun only + でしょう/だろう (e.g., 学生（がくせい）でしょう). Do not use だ for the present tense.

3. Register:

  • でしょう: Standard polite Japanese.
  • でしょ: A shortened, casual version of でしょう. This is the most common casual form used by women and frequently by men in daily conversation.
  • だろう: Casual/Plain. Used mostly by men in speech (can sound blunt), but used by everyone in formal writing or internal monologues.

Examples (5)

  1. 明日、来るでしょう？

    You're coming tomorrow, right?

    Word by Word: Tomorrow, come right?

    The speaker is confirming a plan they believe the listener has made.

  2. ほら、言っただろう？

    See, I told you, didn't I?

    Word by Word: Look, said right?

    A casual, slightly assertive way to confirm that what the speaker said previously was correct using the plain past form.

  3. この映画、面白くないでしょう？

    This movie isn't interesting, is it?

    Word by Word: This movie, not-interesting right?

    Seeking confirmation using the negative form of an adjective.

  4. 田中さんは学生でしょう？

    Tanaka-san is a student, right?

    Word by Word: Tanaka-san (topic) student right?

    Seeking confirmation about a noun (student). Note that だ is not used before でしょう.

  5. パーティーに行かないでしょう？

    You aren't going to the party, right?

    Word by Word: Party to go-not right?

    Using the plain negative form of a verb to confirm a negative assumption.

Common Mistakes

  • Including 'da' before 'deshō' with nouns or na-adjectives.

    きれいだでしょう？
    きれいでしょう？

    For nouns and na-adjectives, you must drop the 'da' before adding 'deshō' or 'darō'.

  • Using a falling intonation when seeking confirmation.

    明日、雨でしょう。（falling tone）
    明日、雨でしょう？（rising tone）

    A falling tone makes it a prediction ('It will probably rain'), while a rising tone makes it a question ('It's raining, right?').

How It Connects

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でしょう/だろう（確認）Level 2Right?/Isn't It?

Learn This First

To understand でしょう and だろう for confirmation, you first need to be familiar with the Japanese copula (です and だ) as these patterns are their conjectural forms. Additionally, understanding how Japanese uses sentence-final particles like ね to seek agreement helps in grasping the communicative function of this pattern.

Words in This Pattern