～でしょうか

でしょうか is でしょう with the question particle か: a polite question that does not press for a definite answer, or a question you ask yourself, "I wonder". It goes after the plain form of a verb or an い-adjective, and straight after a noun or a な-adjective.

A noun or a な-adjective takes no だ before でしょうか.

• × 学生だでしょうか → 学生でしょうか

でしょうか or ですか

ですか asks for the answer directly. でしょうか asks the same thing more softly and leaves the listener room not to know, which is why shop staff use it and why it suits a question to a stranger.

Asking permission and making requests

After てもいい or てもよろしい, でしょうか asks permission. After ていただける it makes a request. Both are common in polite speech.

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でしょうか is polite. Among friends the "I wonder" question is かな. The plain-form だろうか belongs mostly to writing and to thinking aloud.