JLPT N4 grammar

〜だろうmeaning and usage

Meaning

Probably A; I think A; it seems A; I wonder A

How to form it

  • verb (plain form)/い-adjectiveだろう
  • な-adjective (stem)/nounだろう

How it is used

The plain form of 「でしょう」: a guess, probably A. Common in writing and men's casual speech; said with rising intonation, 「〜だろう？」 asks for agreement. It sounds more certain than 「かもしれない」.

Examples

  1. 彼は多分失敗するだろう。

    He will probably fail.

  2. この時間なら、道はすいているだろう。

    At this hour, the roads are probably clear.

  3. あの店は、どうしていつも込んでいるんだろう。

    I wonder why that shop is always so crowded.