Reported Speech with *Daw/Raw* in Tagalog

In Brief

Use daw or raw to show that information comes from someone else rather than from your own direct knowledge: Uulan daw bukas means “They say it will rain tomorrow.” The basic sound rule is daw after a consonant and raw after a vowel. To name the speaker or source, Tagalog commonly uses sabi (“what someone said”) or ayon (“according to”).

Overview

Tagalog can report a message without building a full clause equivalent to English “he said that…” The short enclitic particle daw/raw—a small word that normally attaches in position to an earlier word—marks a statement as reported, secondhand, or based on hearsay. Depending on context, English may translate it as “they say,” “apparently,” “I heard that,” “according to someone,” or “is said to.”

This is an important B1 pattern because it lets you pass on news while making the source of the information clear. It also prevents you from presenting secondhand information as something you personally witnessed. You will hear daw/raw in everyday conversation, messages, news discussions, and retellings.

English speakers need to adjust two habits. First, daw/raw does not identify who spoke; context or a source phrase does that. Second, Tagalog does not normally apply the systematic tense “backshift” found in English reported speech. A speaker can preserve the verb form and time word that make sense from the current point of view.

How It Works

Choosing between daw and raw

The two forms have the same meaning. Choose the form according to the final sound of the word immediately before the particle, not according to the first sound of the following word.

Previous word ends in	Use	Example	Meaning
a consonant	daw	Uulan daw.	They say it will rain.
a vowel	raw	Maganda raw.	They say it is beautiful/good.
w or y sound	usually raw	Ikaw raw.	They say it is you.

The core beginner rule is simply consonant + daw, vowel + raw. In careful descriptions of Tagalog, final w and y are commonly grouped with the sounds that favor the r form. You may nevertheless encounter variation in actual speech.

This alternation also appears in other common pairs such as din/rin. It is mainly about making the sequence easier to pronounce; it does not change the degree of certainty or the identity of the source.

What daw/raw contributes

Compare these two statements:

• Mahal ang tiket. — “The ticket is expensive.” The speaker presents this directly.
• Mahal daw ang tiket. — “The ticket is said to be expensive.” The speaker attributes the information to another source.

The particle marks evidential meaning (how the speaker obtained the information). It does not itself mean that the report is false. The speaker may believe it, doubt it, or remain neutral. Tone and surrounding words communicate that attitude.

Where the particle goes

Daw/raw is normally an enclitic: it tends to occur after the first suitable word or phrase in its clause rather than being placed freely at the end as English “apparently” can be.

Common patterns include:

Pattern	Tagalog example	Natural English meaning
Predicate + daw/raw + topic	Mabait daw ang guro.	The teacher is said to be kind.
Verb + daw/raw + subject	Darating daw sila.	They say they will arrive.
Negative + daw/raw + clause	Hindi raw siya aalis.	Apparently, he/she will not leave.
Question word + daw/raw + clause	Kailan daw siya darating?	When did they say he/she would arrive?
Fronted source + reported clause	Ayon kay Leo, sarado raw.	According to Leo, it is closed.

In questions such as Ano raw ang sinabi niya?, the particle still signals reported information: “What did you say he/she said?” or “What did he/she reportedly say?” Context determines the smoothest English wording.

Naming the speaker with sabi

Sabi is a noun-like reporting form meaning “what was said,” “statement,” or, in many everyday patterns, simply “said.” It is especially common at the beginning of a report.

• Sabi ni Maria, darating siya mamaya. — Maria said she would arrive later.
• Sabi niya, pagod siya. — He/She said he/she was tired.
• Sabi ng doktor, magpahinga ka. — The doctor said you should rest.

Use ni before a personal name and ng before a common noun. A pronoun such as niya already expresses “his/her” in this construction.

A fuller verb construction is also possible:

• Sinabi niya na darating siya. — He/She said that he/she would arrive.
• Sinabi ni Carlo na wala siyang oras. — Carlo said that he had no time.

Here na introduces the reported content, somewhat like English “that.” In natural Tagalog, na joins phonologically to a preceding vowel as -ng where appropriate: Sinabi niyang darating siya (“He/She said that he/she would arrive”). The shorter Sabi niya, … pattern is extremely common in conversation.

Naming a source with ayon

Ayon sa/kay means “according to.” Use kay before a personal name and sa before a common noun, organization, text, or other source.

• Ayon kay Maria, mahal daw. — According to Maria, it is expensive.
• Ayon sa balita, may bagyo raw. — According to the news, there is reportedly a typhoon.
• Ayon sa guro, tama ang sagot. — According to the teacher, the answer is correct.

Using ayon and daw/raw together is natural: ayon explicitly names the source, while daw/raw keeps the reported status visible inside the statement. The particle is not always required when ayon already makes the source clear.

No automatic English-style tense backshift

English often changes “I am tired” to “She said she was tired.” Tagalog generally chooses the verb’s aspect—how an action unfolds or is completed—according to the intended time and viewpoint, not according to a mechanical reported-speech rule.

• Direct message: Pupunta ako bukas. — “I will go tomorrow.”
• Reported now: Sabi niya, pupunta siya bukas. — “He/She said he/she will go tomorrow.”

If the planned day has passed, the speaker should change the time reference or verb form because reality has changed, not merely because sabi is in the past. Pronouns and time words may also need adjustment: ako in the original speaker’s words can become siya, and bukas may become a specific day when “tomorrow” is no longer clear.

Examples in Context

Tagalog	English	Note
Uulan daw bukas.	They say it will rain tomorrow.	Uulan ends in a consonant sound, so use daw.
Maganda raw ang pelikula.	The movie is said to be good.	Maganda ends in a vowel, so use raw.
Mahal daw ang renta rito.	Apparently, the rent here is expensive.	The source is understood from context.
Darating daw sila ng alas-otso.	They say they will arrive at eight.	The particle follows the verb.
Hindi raw bukas ang bangko.	Apparently, the bank is not open.	Raw follows vowel-final hindi.
Si Ana raw ang bagong manager.	They say Ana is the new manager.	Raw follows vowel-final Ana.
Ikaw raw ang hinahanap nila.	They say you are the one they are looking for.	Final w commonly favors raw.
Kailan daw magsisimula ang pulong?	When did they say the meeting would start?	A question about reported information.
Sabi niya, pupunta siya.	He/She said he/she would go.	Everyday sabi construction.
Sabi ni Liza, nasa opisina si Ben.	Liza said Ben was at the office.	Ni marks a named speaker.
Sinabi ng doktor na kailangan kong magpahinga.	The doctor said that I need to rest.	Full reporting verb plus na.
Ayon kay Maria, mahal daw.	According to Maria, it is expensive.	The source is explicitly named.
Ayon sa balita, kanselado raw ang biyahe.	According to the news, the trip is reportedly canceled.	Useful in more informational contexts.
Ano raw ang sinabi niya?	What did they say he/she said?	Raw marks the question as secondhand.

Common Mistakes

Choosing the form from the following word

• Wrong: Maganda daw ang lugar.
• Right: Maganda raw ang lugar.
• Why: Look backward. The immediately preceding word, maganda, ends in a vowel, so the standard form is raw. The following word ang does not control the choice.

Treating daw and raw as different meanings

• Wrong idea: Daw means “they say,” but raw means “apparently.”
• Right: Both can express either meaning.
• Why: The difference is phonological—that is, based on neighboring sounds—not semantic (based on meaning).

Using raw after a consonant in careful standard usage

• Wrong: Mahal raw ang pagkain.
• Right: Mahal daw ang pagkain.
• Why: Mahal ends in l, a consonant. Use daw under the basic standard rule.

Copying English tense backshift mechanically

• Awkward approach: Changing every Tagalog verb merely because English changes “will” to “would” after “said.”
• Better: Sabi niya, pupunta siya bukas.
• Why: Choose the Tagalog aspect and time expression for the event’s actual timing. English translation may use “would,” but Tagalog does not require a matching automatic shift.

Expecting the particle to identify the source

• Unclear without context: Aalis daw siya.
• Clearer when needed: Sabi ni Rosa, aalis daw siya.
• Why: Daw/raw says the information is reported, but not who reported it. Add sabi ni/ng or ayon kay/sa if the source matters.

Confusing the people represented by siya

• Potentially ambiguous: Sabi ni Marco, pupunta siya.
• Clearer: Sabi ni Marco, pupunta si Elena.
• Why: Siya can mean “he” or “she,” and it could refer to Marco or another person. Repeat a name when context does not make the reference obvious.

Usage Notes

Daw/raw is neutral and extremely common in conversation. It can convey ordinary attribution (“Rosa says…”), a circulating report (“people say…”), or unconfirmed information (“apparently…”). It does not automatically express gossip, disbelief, or sarcasm, though intonation and context can create those effects.

In formal or source-conscious writing, naming the source is often clearer than relying on the particle alone. Ayon sa ulat (“according to the report”), ayon sa pulisya (“according to the police”), and a full form such as sinabi ng opisyal na… (“the official said that…”) make attribution explicit. In speech and informal messages, Sabi niya… is usually more natural than a heavily structured sentence.

Tagalog pronouns do not mark gender in the third person: siya/niya can refer to “he/him/his” or “she/her.” English translations therefore need context, and an isolated sentence may legitimately have more than one translation.

You may hear speakers vary between daw and raw, particularly across regions, speaking styles, and fast conversation. For learning and edited writing, follow the standard sound-based alternation. Do not interpret a variant as a change in meaning.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

The particle can report more than statements

Because daw/raw marks secondhand status, it can appear in questions, requests, and commands that are being relayed:

• Nasaan daw ang susi? — Where did they say the key was? / Someone is asking where the key is.
• Pumunta ka raw doon. — They said you should go there.
• Huwag daw kayong maingay. — They said you should not be noisy.

The exact force depends on context. Pumunta ka raw doon may relay an instruction rather than merely describe someone’s claim.

Particle order matters

Tagalog often places several enclitic particles near the beginning of a clause. Their order is not random, and combinations can add attitude as well as source marking. For example, nga raw can relay emphatic information, while daw pala can combine hearsay with a newly discovered realization. These combinations belong to the wider system of discourse particles and are best learned as patterns from real sentences rather than assembled word by word.

Direct quotation and reported content

A direct quote preserves the speaker’s original words:

• Sinabi niya, “Pupunta ako bukas.” — He/She said, “I will go tomorrow.”

An indirect report adjusts the viewpoint:

• Sinabi niya na pupunta siya kinabukasan. — He/She said that he/she would go the next day.

The change from ako to siya and from bukas to kinabukasan is a change of speaker and time perspective. It is not an obligatory tense-concord system like the one taught for formal English reported speech. In ordinary conversation, speakers often retain bukas if the intended tomorrow is still obvious.

Hearsay versus inference

Use daw/raw when another person or source supplied the information. If you infer something from visible evidence yourself, “apparently” may be a good English adverb, but daw/raw can be misleading because it suggests a report. Choose the particle according to the information source, not merely according to one convenient English translation.

Practice Tips

1. Train the sound choice. Take ten short predicates and say daw or raw immediately after each: mahal daw, mabilis daw, maganda raw, ayaw raw. Focus on the final sound, not the spelling of the next word.
2. Retell one message three ways. Start with a direct quote, then use Sabi niya, …, and finally make a short hearsay sentence with daw/raw. Change pronouns and time words only when the new viewpoint requires it.
3. Listen for source and attitude. In Tagalog interviews or conversations, note whether speakers use sabi, ayon, or only daw/raw. Ask: Is the source named? Does the speaker sound neutral, doubtful, or amused?

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Conjunctions — helps you connect clauses and reasons before building longer reports.
• Next steps: Discourse Particles (Nga, Naman, Kasi, Pala, Daw) — expands daw/raw into the broader particle system used to express emphasis, contrast, explanation, and realization.