Grammar Info
N5 Lesson 3: 6/13

だろう
Right?, Probably, Isn't it?

Structure
Verb + だろう
Adjective + だろう
Noun + だろう
Details
Part of Speech Auxiliary Verb
Word Type Dependent Word
Register Standard
品詞 助動詞
単語の種類 付属語
使用域 一般
Information
だろう is a conjugated form of , and can also be seen in the contracted form だろ (more casual). だろう expresses that the speaker thinks that something is true (assertion/expectation), and also that the listener would probably agree with them. This comes across like ‘right?’, or ‘probably’ in English.
  • お前(まえ)、明日(あした)パーティー行(い)だろ
    You are going to the party tomorrow, right?
  • 明日(あした)晴(は)れだろう
    It will probably be clear tomorrow.
だろう carries exactly the same meaning as でしょう (the polite equivalent). However, due to だ being more casual than です, だろう is also considered to be more casual/masculine than でしょう.
Caution
While だろう is usually used when the speaker has some sort of information that would support their assertion, it can also be used simply when the speaker ‘feels’ that something is true.
  • これ、お菓子(かし)だろう
    This is candy, isn't it?
In this kind of sentence that expresses a ‘feeling’ or ‘hunch’, だろう comes across as quite low confidence. The speaker's tone of voice will often reveal how confident だろう is.
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ここいいだろう
This place here is good, isn’t it?
Play  
あなただろう
It’s you, isn’t it.
Play  
これペンだろう
This is a pen. (right?)
Play  
Books
Tobira
Page 45
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 100
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 241