～でしょう

～でしょう is the polite way to say that something is probably true. It works like です, but instead of stating a fact, it makes a guess. It follows a noun, an adjective, or the plain form of a verb.

It maps to English “will probably” or “I think it’s ...”. It is the polite counterpart of plain ～だろう, and you will hear it constantly in weather forecasts.

1. Saying something is probable

Replace です with でしょう when you are not certain but believe something is likely.

2. Softly asking for agreement

Said with rising intonation, でしょう？ invites the listener to agree, like English “..., right?”

How to form it

Noun / adjective / plain verb + でしょう (after a noun or な-adjective, attach でしょう directly — no だ or です in between).

• 雨（あめ）= rain → 雨でしょう（あめでしょう）= it will probably rain
• 晴れる（はれる）= to clear up → 晴れるでしょう（はれるでしょう）= it will probably be sunny
• 寒い（さむい）= cold → 寒いでしょう（さむいでしょう）= it’s probably cold

Key idea

Think of ～でしょう as です with the certainty turned down: “is, probably.” Falling intonation makes a polite prediction; rising intonation turns it into a friendly “right?”