〜でしょう

Meaning

〜でしょう has three main uses depending on context and intonation: (1) with falling intonation, it expresses speculation or guess about something unconfirmed; (2) with rising intonation, it seeks confirmation of information the speaker is fairly confident about; (3) 〜でしょうか is a polite question form, more courteous than ですか, used when requesting information without assuming an answer.

Formation

Examples

1. 明日は 雨でしょう。
   Tomorrow will probably be rainy.

2. 山田くんは カラオケが 好きでしょう。
   Yamada-kun must like karaoke, doesn't he?

3. このかばん、高いでしょう。
   This bag must be expensive, right?

4. あなた 朝から 晩まで ずっと 働いて、疲れたでしょう。
   You've been working from morning till night, so you must be tired, aren't you?

5. これは あなたの ものでしょう。
   This must be your belongings, isn't it?

6. A：こちらは お客様の お荷物でしょうか。 B：ええ、そうです。
   A: This must be your luggage, sir/madam? B: Yes, that's right.

Summary

• Falling intonation (〜でしょう↓) = speculation/conjecture: 'probably is...; I guess...'
• Rising intonation (〜でしょう↑) = seeking confirmation: 'must be..., isn't it?; surely..., right?'
• 〜でしょうか = polite question form more courteous than ですか; used for respectful inquiries