Learn Hardcore Japanese: ano hito ha sakka darou ne. - That person is probably a writer.

あの – “that (over there / that (person/thing) away from both of us)”
人 – “person”
は – topic marker (“as for…” / “speaking of…”)
作家 – “author, writer (usually of books, novels, etc.)”
だろう – “probably / I suppose / I guess”
ね – sentence-ending particle: “right?”, “isn’t it?”, inviting agreement or shared feeling

So literally: “As for that person, (they) probably are an author, huh.”

What does あの mean, and how is it different from この and その?

These three are all demonstratives (“this/that” words):

この – “this … (near me, the speaker)”
- e.g. この人 = “this person (near me)”
その – “that … (near you, the listener)” or “that … (you just mentioned)”
- e.g. その人 = “that person (near you / that one you mentioned)”
あの – “that … over there” / “that … (away from both of us, or distant in context)”
- e.g. あの人 = “that person (over there / we’re both looking at them or both know who)”

In あの人, the speaker is talking about someone who is not right next to them in a “this person here” sense, but is identifiable to both speaker and listener—often someone a bit apart, or a well-known person being discussed.

Why is 人 followed by は instead of が? What does は do here?

は marks the topic of the sentence—what we’re talking about.

あの人は ≈ “As for that person,” / “That person (topic)…”

In this kind of simple “A is B” statement, it’s very natural to use は after the noun you’re talking about. We’re introducing “that person” as the topic, and then saying something about them: that they’re probably a writer.

If you used が instead (あの人が作家だろう), it would sound more like:

“That person is the one who is probably a writer.” (emphasizing who it is, or contrasting with someone else)

In beginner sentences describing someone’s profession, X は Y です or X は Y だ is the default pattern, so は is expected here.

What exactly does 作家 mean? Is it any writer?

作家 (さっか) usually means:

an author, especially of novels, literary works, or books
a professional writer in a more “artistic” or “author” sense

Some contrasts:

作家 – author/novelist; also sometimes any creator/artist in certain fields (e.g. 陶芸作家 = pottery artist)
ライター – “writer” in the sense of journalist, copywriter, web writer, etc.
書き手 (かきて) – “writer” as a person who writes; broader term but less common in everyday speech

In everyday conversation, あの人は作家だろうね suggests “That person is probably an author/novelist (or similar kind of writer).”

What is だ here, and why is it だろう instead of just だ?

だ is the plain (informal) copula, often thought of as the “to be” verb for nouns and certain adjectives:

作家だ = “(someone) is a writer.”

When you attach ろう to だ, you get だろう, which expresses conjecture or probability:

作家だ – “(They) are a writer.” (simple statement)
作家だろう – “(They) are probably a writer.” / “I guess (they) are a writer.”

So in this sentence, the speaker isn’t stating a fact; they’re making an educated guess.

You can think of だろう (and its polite cousin でしょう) as turning a plain statement into “probably / I suppose …” in English.

What’s the difference between だろう and でしょう?

Both だろう and でしょう mainly express conjecture (“probably”) or the speaker’s supposition.

だろう

More casual / plain style.
Can sound somewhat masculine or rough in everyday spoken Japanese, depending on tone and who is speaking.
Often used in writing, narration, and internal monologue without a gendered feel.

でしょう

More polite, neutral, and common in standard polite speech.
Widely used by all genders.
Often translated as “probably,” “I suppose,” or “right?”

Rough comparison:

あの人は作家だろうね。
→ “That person is probably a writer, huh.” (casual, could sound a bit masculine)
あの人は作家でしょうね。
→ “That person is probably a writer, isn’t he/she?” (polite / softer)

In casual speech, many women and some men might prefer でしょうね rather than だろうね, depending on personal style.

What nuance does ね add at the end? What’s the difference between だろう and だろうね?

ね is a sentence-ending particle that:

softens the statement
seeks agreement, confirmation, or shared feeling
can sound like “right?”, “isn’t it?”, “you know,” or just a softening “huh”

Compare:

あの人は作家だろう。
→ “That person is probably a writer.” (a bit more to yourself, or stating your guess)
あの人は作家だろうね。
→ “That person is probably a writer, right?” / “I guess that person is a writer, huh.”
(inviting the listener to share that guess or feeling)

So ね makes it more interactive and less blunt, and it sounds very natural in conversation.

Is this sentence polite or casual? When could I say あの人は作家だろうね。?

This sentence is casual / plain style:

だろう – plain form (not polite でしょう)
ね – casual sentence-ending particle
No です/ます forms

You would use this:

with friends, family, or people of equal or lower status
in your inner thoughts / monologue
in casual writing, like fiction dialogue

If you want a polite version:

あの人は作家でしょうね。
(polite, natural in conversation with someone you don’t know well)

Or slightly more neutral but still plain:

あの人は作家なんでしょうね。 (softens the statement further)

Where is the subject “he/she” in Japanese? Why is it missing?

Japanese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context.

In あの人は作家だろうね, the topic (あの人) is explicitly given:

あの人は – “As for that person…”

Because we already know who we’re talking about, Japanese doesn’t need a separate word for “he” or “she”:

English: “That person is probably a writer, isn’t he/she?”
Japanese (literal): “As for that person, (they) probably are a writer, right?”

Pronouns like 彼 (he) or 彼女 (she) are used much less often than in English, especially when the person has already been identified (like あの人).

Is あの人 rude? When should I use something more polite like あの方?

あの人 (あのひと) is neutral and very common in everyday conversation:

“that person” / “that guy / that woman (depending on context)”

However, in more polite or formal situations, or when you want to show respect, you might use:

あの方 (あのかた) – “that person” (but respectful / polite)

For example:

Talking to a close friend:
あの人は作家だろうね。 – “That person’s probably a writer, huh.”
Talking in a polite context (e.g., with a customer):
あの方は作家でしょうね。 – “That person is probably a writer, isn’t he/she?”

So あの人 isn’t rude by itself, but あの方 is safer when you need to be clearly respectful.

Could this sentence be a question like “Is that person a writer?” How would I ask that instead of guessing?

あの人は作家だろうね。 is not a direct question; it’s a guess plus “right?/huh”:

“That person is probably a writer, right?”

To ask a straight question like “Is that person a writer?” you would say:

あの人は作家ですか。 (polite)
あの人は作家？ (casual)
あの人は作家なの？ (casual, softer/curious)

If you want a question that still shows conjecture, you might say:

あの人は作家だろうか。 – “I wonder if that person is a writer.”
あの人は作家かな。 – “I wonder if that person is a writer.” (more casual)

So:

だろうね → “probably …, right?” (statement with conjecture + seeking agreement)
ですか／？ → real question asking for confirmation.

What’s with the spaces between the words? I thought Japanese doesn’t use spaces.

You’re right that in normal Japanese writing, there are no spaces between words. The sentence would typically be written as:

あの人は作家だろうね。

In teaching materials, spaces are sometimes added to help learners see the word boundaries and grammar units:

あの｜人｜は｜作家｜だろう｜ね。

So the spaces in あの　人　は　作家　だろう　ね。 are for learning convenience only; they wouldn’t appear in ordinary Japanese text.