Indirect Quotation -다고/냐고/라고 in Korean

Overview

Indirect quotation in Korean reports what someone said, asked, commanded, or suggested without using their exact words. This CEFR A2 pattern uses different endings depending on the sentence type: -다고 for statements, -냐고 for questions, -(으)라고 for commands, and -자고 for suggestions, all followed by 하다 (to say/do).

This is one of the more complex A2 patterns but is extremely common in everyday Korean. Tense is shown in the quoted clause, while 하다 carries the tense of the reporting.

How It Works

Type	Quoted ending	+ 하다	Example
Statement	-다고	하다	간다고 해요 (says going)
Question	-냐고	하다	뭐냐고 물었어요 (asked what)
Command	-(으)라고	하다	가라고 했어요 (told to go)
Suggestion	-자고	하다	가자고 했어요 (suggested going)

Statement Quotation Rules

Verb type	Present	Past
Action verb	-ㄴ/는다고	-았/었다고
Descriptive verb	-다고	-았/었다고
Noun + 이다	-(이)라고	-이었다고

Examples in Context

Korean	Romanization	English	Note
간다고 했어요.	gan-da-go hae-sseo-yo	Said (he's) going.	statement
뭐냐고 물었어요.	mwo-nya-go mu-reo-sseo-yo	Asked what it is.	question
가라고 했어요.	ga-ra-go hae-sseo-yo	Told (me) to go.	command
맛있다고 해요.	ma-sit-da-go hae-yo	Says it's delicious.	statement
같이 가자고 했어요.	ga-chi ga-ja-go hae-sseo-yo	Suggested going together.	suggestion
학생이라고 했어요.	hak-saeng-i-ra-go hae-sseo-yo	Said (he) is a student.	noun statement
왜냐고 물었어요.	wae-nya-go mu-reo-sseo-yo	Asked why.	question
조용히 하라고 했어요.	jo-yong-hi ha-ra-go hae-sseo-yo	Told to be quiet.	command
내일 온다고 했어요.	nae-il on-da-go hae-sseo-yo	Said coming tomorrow.	future quote

Common Mistakes

Using the wrong quotation ending for the sentence type

• Wrong: 가다고 했어요 (for "told to go")
• Right: 가라고 했어요 (command quotation)
• Why: Commands use -(으)라고, not -다고. The ending must match the original sentence type.

Applying polite ending inside the quotation

• Wrong: 가요라고 했어요
• Right: 간다고 했어요
• Why: Indirect quotation uses the plain/dictionary level inside the quote, never polite -요 or formal -ㅂ니다.

Confusing present tense verb forms

• Wrong: 먹다고 (for present "says eating")
• Right: 먹는다고
• Why: Action verbs in present tense quotation use -ㄴ/는다고, not just -다고. Descriptive verbs use -다고.

Usage Notes

Indirect quotation is used constantly in Korean for sharing news, gossip, and relaying messages. The contracted forms (-대요 for -다고 해요, -래요 for -라고 해요, -냬요 for -냐고 해요) are very common in casual speech. Mastering these contractions is key to understanding natural Korean conversation.

Practice Tips

• Practice reporting what friends said: 친구가 바쁘다고 했어요. 선생님이 숙제하라고 했어요.
• Learn the contracted forms: -대요, -래요, -냬요, -재요 for natural speech.
• Practice changing direct quotes to indirect: "가자" → 가자고 했어요.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Polite Ending -아/어요 — base conjugation for 하다
• Next steps: Hearsay -다고 하다 / -대요 — contracted quotation for hearsay
• Next steps: Reported Commands/Requests — detailed command reporting