でしょう - Grammar Discussion

Grammar Points
#1

right?・probably, asking for confirmation

Structure

  • Noun + でしょう
  • Verb + でしょう
  • Adjective + で しょう

[polite assertive・conjecture/guess・low confidence・can be based on some information, but doesn’t have to]

:warning: でしょ - Contracted Form

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#2

in the lesson, it says Verb[short form] + でしょう.
Is this the Plain form of the verb? Dictionary form?

There is no “Verb[short form]” in the structure legend.

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#3

Hey! :grin:
It meant plain form! (So non-past affirmative, non-past negative, past affirmative, past negative forms of verb + でしょう).
I have changed it to " Verb + でしょう".

Plain form is also called short form, opposed to long form (ます - 立ちます 立ちません 立ちました 立ちませんでした) in some books. :+1:

#4

Does でしょう like ね always seek the listener’s confirmation? And if not, is there any way to tell whether the speaker is expressing doubt “probably” or seeking confirmation for that doubt "…right? ".

#5

@deltacat3 Hey! Whether でしょう is used to seek the listener’s confirmation or to make a guess depends on context and intonation (how でしょう is pronounced).

If you hear でしょう pronounced with a falling intonation, the speaker is making a guess and is not necessarily looking for the listener’s confirmation.

If でしょう is pronounced with a rising intonation (like a question), it is still considered a conjecture, but the speaker is seeking the listener’s confirmation.

If you ever catch the weather in Japanese, you will certainly hear the forecaster use でしょう (with a falling intonation) to propose that the weather will be a certain way. They are not looking for the listener’s approval.

Here are some more examples. Cheers!

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#6

Can someone tell me what this means? I’m confused…

[long (ます) form + でしょう sounds unnatural in modern Japanese, therefore でしょう・でしょ・だろう are generally paired with the short (る/ない) form]

#7

@Solista Hey! This just means that, for the most part, you want to avoid adding でしょう, でしょ, だろう to verbs ending in the ます-form and opt instead to use the short/dictionary form of a verb (る or ない).

:x: あそびますでしょう
◯ あそぶでしょう or あそばないでしょう

I say for the most part because in some formal situations you will hear ます being paired with でしょう (何かご質問がありますでしょうか), but it is generally a good idea to avoid it. Cheers!

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#8

Hey there. Just a question coming out of a review and seeing the context sentence:

明日（あした）も雨（あめ）が降（ふ）るでしょう

明日（あした）も雨（あめ）でしょう。

I answered with the 2nd and got the 1st shown as alternative as well.
How would I interpret the nuance of the sentence when comparing those two? The 2nd seemed more casual and kind of went with it because it felt more natural not to state all the info/the whole phrase when it seemed pretty obvious what the speaker was talking about to me… Can I always do that if the context allows for it? Grammatically i am literally only leaving “雨” as noun instead of saying the whole phrase . “が” particle ends up not being used because of that, so my idea was that a) choosing the 2nd way i mentioned above to write it would seem a bit more casual/natural in expressing the whole thing and b) the emphasis put on “雨” as the thing “probably happening tomorrow” wouldnt be as big(?)

Thanks in advance for clarifying

#9

First, a quick translation note:
雨が降る = lit. “the rain falls” or in more natural English, “it rains”

So, when you apply the grammar point:
雨が降るでしょう = the rain will probably fall (it will probably rain)
雨でしょう = it’s probably rain
Notice that the first is “probably [will] Verb” and the second is “probably [is] Noun”.

What you said about being more casual also applies here because, if both people know the subject is about the weather, the listener can guess the complete sentence.

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#10

That helps, thanks! I was assuming that

雨が降るでしょう = the rain will probably fall (it will probably rain)
雨でしょう = it’s probably rain

was the case, just was a bit unsure as toggling the “show alternative” translated both sentences/alternatives the same way (probably to make it easier to understand that it wants to express the same). So thanks for clarifying on the nuance for me :smiley: I try to not always translate stuff but understand the concept behind different constructs that would end up translated the same but have a different tone if you read them in JP only.

So basically those are pretty much interchangeable as the subject is clear I guess.

Thank you once again, and a :+1:

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#11

I’m not sure of the difference between でしょう and ですね.
Aren’t they both used for making a statement that the listener will likely agree with (esp. if the former is pronounced with a falling tone)?

#12

Here’s an exaggerated example to make a point…

It’s noontime. It’s 110degF outside. You’re sweating buckets. You turn to a stranger and say…
きょうは暑いですね!! – It’s [really] hot today, isn’t it?? (I know I’m hot. I’m telling you how I feel, and I’m getting confirmation about how you feel.)

You look at another stranger who’s wearing a ski parka and say…
あなたは暑いでしょう!! – Aren’t you hot?? lit. You must be hot!! / You’re probably hot!! (If I were in your shoes, I’d be hot, but I’m not you so I don’t know 100% for sure. I’m getting confirmation about how you feel.)

ですね is for a statement that you’re sure of for yourself and probably for others as well.
でしょう is for a statement you can’t be 100% sure (because it’s about someone else, the future, etc)

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#13

I meant to thank you for this explanation way back - it was really helpful - so thank you!!

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