Korean Hearsay with -다고 하다 and -대요

In Brief

Use -다고 해요 and its conversational contractions, especially -대요, to pass on information rather than present it as something you know firsthand. 내일 비가 온대요 can mean “I heard it will rain tomorrow” or “They say it will rain tomorrow.” The form changes slightly after action verbs, descriptive verbs, and nouns.

Overview

Korean regularly marks the difference between telling someone what you directly know and relaying another person’s words. -다고 하다 reports a statement; in polite speech it appears as -다고 해요, and in everyday conversation it is often shortened to -대요. This B1 use is especially helpful for passing on plans, recommendations, news, rumors, and updates.

English usually makes the source explicit with phrases such as “I heard,” “apparently,” “they say,” or “she says.” Korean can leave both the speaker and the source unstated when context supplies them. 그 영화 재미있대요 therefore sounds complete even though it does not say who gave the opinion. Depending on context, it can mean “I heard that movie is fun” or “They say that movie is fun.”

This pattern builds on indirect quotation: reporting the content of someone’s words without necessarily repeating the exact wording. A clause (a group of words built around a predicate) receives a quotation ending, followed by 하다 “to say.” For hearsay, the speaker often omits the source and uses the contracted ending. If the identity of the speaker matters, it can be stated explicitly.

How It Works

The broad pattern is:

source + reported statement + quotation ending + 하다

• 민지가 내일 온다고 해요. — Minji says she is coming tomorrow.
• 내일 온대요. — I hear that someone is coming tomorrow.

A Korean predicate is the verb, descriptive verb, or 이다 expression that completes the statement. A descriptive verb expresses a quality or state, where English often uses “be + adjective”: 좋다 means “to be good.” The predicate type determines the quotation ending.

Present statements

Predicate type	Full polite form	Contracted polite form	Example
Action verb ending in a vowel or ㄹ	-ㄴ다고 해요	-ㄴ대요	가다 → 간대요
Action verb ending in another consonant	-는다고 해요	-는대요	먹다 → 먹는대요
Descriptive verb	-다고 해요	-대요	좋다 → 좋대요
Noun + 이다, after a consonant	-이라고 해요	-이래요	학생이다 → 학생이래요
Noun + 이다, after a vowel	-라고 해요	-래요	의사이다 → 의사래요

To form these endings, remove dictionary -다 and attach the appropriate quotation form. With action verbs, ㄹ drops before -ㄴ다고: 살다 → 산다고 해요 → 산대요. The copula 이다 (“to be” after a noun) uses -(이)라고, not -다고.

The contraction affects the whole quotation-plus-해요 sequence:

• 간다고 해요 → 간대요
• 먹는다고 해요 → 먹는대요
• 재미있다고 해요 → 재미있대요
• 학생이라고 해요 → 학생이래요

Although learners often call every short form “-대요,” notice that action verbs retain -ㄴ- or -는-, while noun predicates become -(이)래요.

Past statements

Past tense is marked inside the reported clause with -았/었-. All predicate types then use -다고 해요, contracted to -대요:

Dictionary form	Full report	Contracted report	Meaning
가다	갔다고 해요	갔대요	I heard they went.
먹다	먹었다고 해요	먹었대요	I heard they ate.
좋다	좋았다고 해요	좋았대요	I heard it was good.
학생이다	학생이었다고 해요	학생이었대요	I heard they were a student.

This explains 벌써 도착했대요: 도착했다 “arrived” + contracted -고 해요.

Future plans and predictions

A future statement with -(으)ㄹ 거예요 is normally reported as -(으)ㄹ 거라고 해요, contracted to -(으)ㄹ 거래요:

• 주말에 쉴 거라고 해요. → 주말에 쉴 거래요. — They say they will rest this weekend.
• 비가 올 거래요. — I heard it is going to rain.

-겠다고 해요 → -겠대요 is also possible. With a person as subject, it often relays that person’s intention or decision: 자기가 하겠대요 “They say they’ll do it themselves.” In predictions, -겠대요 can report someone else’s judgment.

Present action-verb forms can also refer to a scheduled future when a time expression makes that clear. 내일 비가 온대요 literally uses the present action form but naturally reports tomorrow’s forecast.

Negation

Negation remains inside the quotation:

• 안 간다고 해요 → 안 간대요 — They say they are not going.
• 못 온다고 해요 → 못 온대요 — They say they cannot come.
• 재미없다고 해요 → 재미없대요 — I heard it is not interesting.
• 학생이 아니라고 해요 → 학생이 아니래요 — They say the person is not a student.

Naming the source

Add the source with -이/가 or -은/는 when it matters:

• 지수 씨가 회의가 취소됐다고 했어요. — Jisu said the meeting had been canceled.
• 뉴스에서는 태풍이 온다고 해요. — The news says a typhoon is coming.
• 친구한테 들었는데 그 식당이 맛있대요. — I heard from a friend that the restaurant is good.

-다고 했어요 reports a completed act of speaking: “said that.” -다고 해요 can mean “says that,” while a source-free contracted form often has the broader hearsay sense “I heard that.” Korean pronouns are frequently omitted, so context must identify who said or did what.

Examples in Context

Korean	English	Note
내일 비가 온대요.	I heard it will rain tomorrow.	Present action form with future time
그 영화 재미있대요.	They say that movie is fun.	Descriptive verb
민수 씨는 요즘 매일 운동한대요.	I hear Minsu exercises every day these days.	Vowel-final action verb
새로 생긴 카페가 커피를 잘 만든대요.	I heard the new café makes good coffee.	Consonant-final action verb
유나 씨가 오늘은 안 간다고 해요.	Yuna says she is not going today.	Full form with named source
기차가 십 분 늦는대요.	They say the train is ten minutes late.	Action verb 늦다 in the sense “to be delayed”
이 근처 집값이 아주 비싸대요.	I hear housing prices around here are very high.	Descriptive verb
새 팀장이 미국 사람이래요.	I heard the new team leader is American.	Noun ending in a consonant
그분은 의사래요.	They say that person is a doctor.	Noun ending in a vowel
회의가 벌써 끝났대요.	I heard the meeting has already ended.	Past tense
어제 공연이 정말 좋았대요.	They say yesterday’s performance was excellent.	Past descriptive verb
수진 씨가 다음 달에 이사할 거래요.	I heard Sujin is going to move next month.	Future -(으)ㄹ 거래요
동생이 이번에는 자기가 운전하겠대요.	My younger sibling says they will drive this time.	Reported intention with -겠대요
날씨가 생각보다 춥지 않대요.	I hear the weather is not as cold as expected.	Long-form descriptive negation

Common Mistakes

Using the descriptive form after an action verb

• Wrong: 친구가 매일 운동대요.
• Right: 친구가 매일 운동한대요.
• Why: 운동하다 is an action verb. Present action verbs require -ㄴ대요 after a vowel (or ㄹ) and -는대요 after another consonant.

Adding -는- to a descriptive verb

• Wrong: 그 책이 재미있는대요. (when you mean “I heard the book is interesting”)
• Right: 그 책이 재미있대요.
• Why: Present descriptive verbs take -다고 해요 → -대요. 재미있는데요 is a different construction with -는데요, not a hearsay ending.

Treating noun predicates like verbs

• Wrong: 그분은 선생님대요.
• Right: 그분은 선생님이래요.
• Why: Noun + 이다 uses -(이)라고 해요 → -(이)래요. Since 선생님 ends in a consonant, include 이.

Confusing -대요 with -데요

• Wrong for hearsay: 그 영화 재미있데요.
• Right: 그 영화 재미있대요.
• Why: -대요 reports information. -데요 belongs to a different family of endings and can introduce background, contrast, or a reaction. The vowels matter even though the forms sound similar to learners.

Forgetting tense inside the quotation

• Wrong: 벌써 도착한대요. (if the person has already arrived)
• Right: 벌써 도착했대요.
• Why: The event’s tense is marked before the report ending. 도착한대요 means the person says they arrive/are going to arrive; 도착했대요 reports an arrival already completed.

Assuming -대요 always means “someone else said”

• Potentially misleading: 제가 피곤하대요.
• Clearer for your own present feeling: 제가 피곤해요.
• Why: Use plain 피곤해요 for something you directly feel. 제가 피곤하대요 reports another person’s claim that you are tired, unless a special context makes the echoed wording clear.

Usage Notes

The full forms and contractions differ mainly in rhythm and conversational style, not basic meaning. -다고 합니다 is common in formal announcements, presentations, and news-like reporting. -다고 해요 is neutral and clear. -대요, -ㄴ대요, -는대요, and -(이)래요 are extremely common in polite conversation. In casual speech to a close friend, 요 may be dropped: 온대, 맛있대, 학생이래.

Hearsay does not automatically mean that the information is doubtful or malicious gossip. It simply presents the information as relayed. Tone and context decide whether the sentence is a reliable update, a recommendation, a rumor, or a surprising discovery. If accuracy matters, state the source: 기상청에서 비가 온다고 했어요 “The weather service said it will rain.”

English speakers often feel compelled to supply “he,” “she,” or “they.” Korean normally omits recoverable subjects, but this can create real ambiguity: 안 온대요 may mean “He says he isn’t coming,” “She says she isn’t coming,” or “I heard they aren’t coming.” Add a name or noun when the listener might identify the wrong person.

Do not use statement hearsay endings to report every kind of utterance. Questions, commands, and suggestions use the wider indirect-quotation system: -냐고, -(으)라고, and -자고. This article focuses on passing on statements with -다고 and their contractions.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Quotation tense and reporting tense are separate

Korean can mark both when the reported event happened and when the saying happened:

• 간다고 했어요. — They said they were going.
• 갔다고 해요. — They say that someone went.
• 갔다고 했어요. — They said that someone had gone/went.

The tense before -다고 belongs to the reported content; the tense on 하다 belongs to the act of saying. Unlike English reported speech, Korean does not mechanically shift every present tense backward just because 하다 is past. Preserve the time perspective intended in the original message.

-다고 하더라고요 for something personally encountered

-대요 merely relays information. If you personally heard someone say it and present that as a remembered discovery, -다고 하더라고요 is often natural:

• 직원에게 물어보니까 오늘은 문을 닫는다고 하더라고요. — When I asked an employee, they told me they were closing today.

This form adds the speaker’s retrospective experience; it is not simply a longer synonym for every -대요 sentence.

-다면서요? to confirm what you heard

When asking the listener to confirm reported information, Korean often uses -다면서요? and its related forms:

• 다음 달에 이사한다면서요? — I heard you’re moving next month—is that right?

By contrast, 이사한대요? can ask “Are they saying they’ll move?” or request confirmation about a third party. The choice depends on whose information is being checked and how directly you address them.

Reports are not evidence markers by themselves

The grammar marks reported speech, but it does not certify the source. For careful communication, combine it with a source phrase or a hedge:

• 뉴스에서 봤는데 내일부터 추워진대요. — I saw on the news that it will get colder from tomorrow.
• 소문으로는 두 회사가 합병한대요. — According to a rumor, the two companies are merging.

These opening phrases tell the listener how much weight to give the report.

Practice Tips

1. Transform by predicate type. Make four cards from one idea: 간다고 해요 → 간대요, 좋다고 해요 → 좋대요, 학생이라고 해요 → 학생이래요, and 갔다고 해요 → 갔대요. Saying both versions builds recognition of the contraction.
2. Retell short updates. Read a weather forecast, event notice, or friend’s message, then relay three points with -대요. Include the source in the first sentence and omit it once the context is clear.
3. Listen for the middle consonants. In natural audio, distinguish 간대요, 먹는대요, 좋대요, and 의사래요. Also keep a separate example for -데요 so that spelling and meaning do not merge.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Indirect Quotation -다고/냐고/라고 — introduces the statement, question, command, and suggestion quotation patterns on which hearsay forms are built.