What’s the difference between “tabun” (たぶん) and “desho” (でしょう)?


What’s the difference between
“[tabun](https://www.tanoshiijapanese.com/dictionary/index.cfm?j=tabun)” (たぶん)
and
“[desho](https://www.tanoshiijapanese.com/dictionary/entry_details.cfm?entry_id=778&j=desho)”
(でしょう). Both mean “probably”, but when would you use one over the other?
Please explain by referring to the following examples:

Example 1

> たぶん、黒とグレーです。  
>  **Tabun, kuro to guree desu.** (It is probably black and gray.)

Example 2:

> 私たちがうわさをしているのではと彼女が心配するでしょう。  
>  **Watashi tachi ga uwasa o shite iru no dewa to kanojo ga shinpai suru
> deshou.** (She will probably worry if we are gossiping about her)

Please note: I am a beginner and so would appreciate a simplified explanation.
Thanks!




I am a native speaker of Japanese but not of English. So my English may not be
natural but I hope to be helpful.

たぶん and でしょう have similar meanings but are different parts of speech.

たぶん（=おそらく）'s definition is:

>
> [たぶん](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/en/%E3%81%9F%E3%81%B6%E3%82%93/#je-46615)  
>  1 〔おそらく〕probably; perhaps; possibly; maybe

So たぶん is an adverb like _probably_ , _perhaps_ , or _possibly_. And たぶん’s
meaning varies from _probably_ to _possibly_ according to contexts.

でしょう（=だろう）’s definition is:

>
> [だろう](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/en/%E3%81%A0%E3%82%8D%E3%81%86/#je-46845)  
>  1 〔推量〕  
>  (1)〔話者を主語にして〕I think [suppose/guess] (that).... [...]  
>  (3)〔推量の助動詞を用いて〕

推量の助動詞 means _can be_ , _may be_ , _could be_ , _will be_ , etc.

So でしょう is an (auxiliary) verb like _think_ , _suppose_ , _guess_ , _will be_
, or _may be_.

Therefore you can say:

> 明日はたぶん雨だ。 (It probably rains tomorrow.)  
>  明日は雨でしょう。 (It will rain tomorrow.)  
>  明日はたぶん雨でしょう。 (It will probably rain tomorrow. Or I think it probably rains
> tomorrow.)

(I quoted the definitions from
[プログレッシブ和英中辞典](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/je/))




I am a native speaker of Japanese but not of English. So my English may not be
natural but I hope to be helpful.

たぶん and でしょう have similar meanings but are different parts of speech.

たぶん（=おそらく）'s definition is:

>
> [たぶん](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/en/%E3%81%9F%E3%81%B6%E3%82%93/#je-46615)  
>  1 〔おそらく〕probably; perhaps; possibly; maybe

So たぶん is an adverb like _probably_ , _perhaps_ , or _possibly_. And たぶん’s
meaning varies from _probably_ to _possibly_ according to contexts.

でしょう（=だろう）’s definition is:

>
> [だろう](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/en/%E3%81%A0%E3%82%8D%E3%81%86/#je-46845)  
>  1 〔推量〕  
>  (1)〔話者を主語にして〕I think [suppose/guess] (that).... [...]  
>  (3)〔推量の助動詞を用いて〕

推量の助動詞 means _can be_ , _may be_ , _could be_ , _will be_ , etc.

So でしょう is an (auxiliary) verb like _think_ , _suppose_ , _guess_ , _will be_
, or _may be_.

Therefore you can say:

> 明日はたぶん雨だ。 (It probably rains tomorrow.)  
>  明日は雨でしょう。 (It will rain tomorrow.)  
>  明日はたぶん雨でしょう。 (It will probably rain tomorrow. Or I think it probably rains
> tomorrow.)

(I quoted the definitions from
[プログレッシブ和英中辞典](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/je/))

