はずだ details
write + should
kaku hazu da
should; ought to; is supposed to
meaning: is supposed to write
あいつなら答えを知ってるはずだよ。
aitsu nara kotae o shitteru hazu da yo.
If it's him, he should know the answer. casual
荷物は今日の午後に届くはずだ。
nimotsu wa kyou no gogo ni todoku hazu da.
The package is supposed to arrive this afternoon. neutral
- contraction
- past
- polite
Examples
should; is supposed to — a confident conclusion drawn from known facts
あいつなら答えを知ってるはずだよ。
aitsu nara kotae o shitteru hazu da yo.
If it's him, he should know the answer. casual
荷物は今日の午後に届くはずだ。
nimotsu wa kyou no gogo ni todokuhazuda.
The package is supposed to arrive this afternoon. neutral
会議は三時までに終わるはずです。
kaigi wa sanji made ni owaruhazudesu.
The meeting is supposed to end by three o'clock. formal
Formation
{V}はずだattaches to dictionary form{N}のはずだattaches to nounna-adj + なはずだattaches to na-adjective
Variant notes
- はず — だ drops sentence-finally in casual speech — もう届[とど]いてるはず。
Notes
Related patterns
Similar
Both predict with confidence, but はずだ shows its work — a schedule, a habit, a calculation — while でしょう offers probability on the speaker's authority alone.
Both translate as "should/probably", but はずだ stakes the claim on reasoning or evidence while だろう is an unbacked guess — swapping them changes how accountable the speaker is for being wrong.
Opposite
- はずがないplain-antonym
Polarity applied to the conclusion, not the verb — はずだ deduces that X should hold, はずがない deduces that X cannot; both stand on the same reasoned はず.
Lookalikes
Both follow the dictionary form and gloss as English "should" — はずだ predicts what should happen given the facts (来るはずだ expects him), べきだ prescribes what ought to be done (来るべきだ summons him).
Same [noun]＋だ frame off the dictionary form and both gloss near "supposed to" — つもりだ is the subject's own plan, はずだ the speaker's expectation about anyone; mixing them misassigns whose head the plan lives in.
Both ride dictionary form＋[noun]だ and translate "is supposed to" — 予定だ cites an external schedule anyone can check, はずだ the speaker's own inference; a broken 予定 was rescheduled, a broken はず was misjudged.