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だろう

darou

だろう isn't a guess — it's a ball rolled toward the other person

The picture Instead of nailing your sentence down, you roll a ball gently toward the person across from you.

Everyday expressions

Where the picture shows up in だろう

  1. rolled into the fog

    明日はたぶん晴れるでしょう

    ashita wa tabun hareru deshō

    It'll probably be clear tomorrow.

    This is why forecasts always end in でしょう — they never nail it down.

  2. rolled to yourself

    彼はもう知っているだろう

    kare wa mō shitte iru darō

    He must already know.

    だろう is plain; でしょう is its polite form.

  3. rolled over for agreement

    長旅で疲れたでしょう?

    nagatabi de tsukareta deshō

    You must be tired after that long trip.

    With a rising tone it becomes a warm read of how the other person feels.

  4. set gently in their hands

    この書き方でよろしいでしょうか

    kono kakikata de yoroshii deshō ka

    Would writing it this way be all right?

    でしょうか steps back one pace from ですか and sounds more deferential.

  5. pointing back at a ball you rolled

    だから言っただろう

    dakara itta darō

    See, I told you.

    Pushed as だろう? it turns confrontational — never aim it upward at a senior.

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