Learn Japanese Grammar ~ darou (~ だろう)

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Learn Japanese Grammar ~ darou (~ だろう)

Japanese Grammar ~ darou (~ だろう) has meaning "I think ; it seems ; probably ; right?".

Formation [接続]

Verb-casual + だろう

い-adjective + だろう

な-adjective + だろう

Noun + だろう

Learn Japanese grammar: だろう (darou) can have numerous meanings, including I think; it seems that way; probably; I guess/wonder; right? (confirmation).

Although there are many different meanings, which may seem confusing, it is usually easy to understand from context. Let’s look at some basic examples.

BTW, sometimes this grammar is shortened to just だろ (daro), but the meaning is the same.

Example 1)

嘘だろう。

uso darou.

You’re kidding (surely that’s a lie)

That’s a lie, right?

This method can express either confidence that it is likely a lie, or express that you are asking for confirmation, though it depends on the tone of the speaker and the situation.

Example 2)

雨が降るだろう。

ame ga furu darou.

It seems like it’s going to rain.

I think it’s going to rain.

It’s going to rain, right?

Like the previous example, the meaning changes depending on the speaker’s tone and the situation. When spoken in a questioning type of tone, it is asking for confirmation from whoever the speaker is talking to. Otherwise, it expresses what the speaker is thinking; in this case thinking that it is likely to rain.

Example 3) showing speculation

それは何だろう。

sore wa nan darou?

I wonder what that is..

だろう - Example Sentences 例文

彼はもうすぐ来るだろう。

kare wa mou sugu kuru darou.

He should be coming any moment now.

そうだろうと思ったよ。

sou darou to omotta.

I thought (figured) as much.

明日はたぶん雨が降るだろう。空に雲がたくさんあるから。

ashita wa tabun ame ga furu darou. sora ni kumo ga takusan aru kara.

It will likely rain tomorrow.. There's a lot of clouds in the sky now..

間違いないだろう。

machigai nai darou.

Surely there's no mistake.

たぶんこの雨は１時間ぐらいでやむだろう。

tabun kono ame wa ichijikan gurai de yamu darou.

This rain will probably be over in about an hour or so.

あそこにいる人は誰だろう。

asoko ni iru hito wa dare darou.

I wonder who that person is over there.

この肉は、もう食べないほうがいいだろう。もう悪くなってしまった。

kono niku wa, mou tabenai hou ga ii darou. mou waruku natte shimatta.

It's probably best to not eat this meat. It's already gone bad..

どうして日本の夏はこんなに暑いんだろう。

doushite nihon no natsu wa konnani atsui n darou.

Why is Summer in Japan so hot..?

All Japanese grammar lessons are designed to help you study for the JLPT. If you have any feedback or notice any errors, please leave a comment.

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