Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 4 - Intermediate Korean #1 (Lessons 91 to 120) ᚛ Lesson 109 - Indirect speech in Korean #1 [-(ㄴ/는)다고] [-(이)라고]
Indirect speech in Korean #1 [-(ㄴ/는)다고] [-(이)라고]
We have previously seen how to quote someone directly in Korean. We are now going to see how to quote a person indirectly.
Quoting a sentence
In Korean, to say a sentence in indirect speech, the following structure can be used:
[Topic / Subject] [Sentence + Verb conjugated in the neutral style]고 (하다)
Reminder: the neutral style
Instead of the verb 하다, it is possible to use the various verbs seen in the previous lesson such as 말하다 (= to say), 듣다 (= to hear), 생각하다 (= to think)... etc.
지유: “멋있어!”
지유는 저한테 멋있다고 했어요.
→ Jiyu told me that I was handsome.
오빠: “사랑해.”
오빠는 나한테 사랑한다고 했어.
→ Oppa told me that he loved me.
그: “어제 서점에 갔어요.”
그는 어제 서점에 갔다고 말했어.
→ He said that he went to the bookstore yesterday.
나 (in my thoughts): “개가 착해.”
나는 개가 착하다고 생각했어.
→ I thought that the dog was nice.
민지는 공부를 잘한다고 들었어.
→ I heard that Minji does well in her studies.
알겠다고 했잖아요.
→ You know I said that I understood.
넌 네가 잘했다고 생각해?
→ Do you think that you did well?
친구들과 놀고 저녁에 들어온다고 했잖아요.
→ (You know that) I said I was going out with my friends and coming home in the evening.
With the verbs 이다 and 아니다
To quote a sentence indirectly, the verb 이다 presents an exception:
[Topic / Subject] [Sentence + Noun](이)라고 (하다)
- If the noun ends with a vowel: [Noun]라고
- If the noun ends with a consonant: [Noun]이라고
저: “프랑스 사람이에요.”
저는 프랑스 사람이라고 했어요.
→ I said that I was French.
Moreover, as seen in the lesson on the future tense in Korean, this tense is a verbal construction that involves 이다. Thus, the future forms -(으)ㄹ 것이다 / -(으)ㄹ 거다 logically become -(으)ㄹ 것이라고 / -(으)ㄹ 거라고 in indirect speech.
그: “다음 주에 방탄소년단 콘서트에 갈 거야.”
그는 다음 주에 방탄소년단 콘서트에 갈 거라고 했어.
→ He said that he will go to the BTS concert next week.
As for the verb 아니다 (= to not be), indirect speech is built in the following manner:
[Sentence + Noun] 아니라고 (하다)
지유: “학생이 아니에요.”
지유는 학생이 아니라고 했어요.
→ Jiyu said that she was not a student.
Indirect speech and adjectival form
Learn more
The pronoun 자기
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Summary table of structure
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Exercises
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Traveling to South Korea can be an unforgettable experience. But when you don’t speak Korean, everything gets more complicated: ordering in a restaurant or café becomes stressful, you can’t understand signs or directions, asking for help in case of trouble is nearly impossible, and most importantly, you miss out on the very essence of a successful trip to Korea: connecting with the locals.
Since English - Korean machine translators can’t always be trusted (the two languages work in completely different ways), it’s essential to prepare yourself in advance to fully enjoy your trip to South Korea!
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