B2 Passive & Reported Speech 1 min read Schwer

Narrative Hearsay with Participles

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use the past active participle to report what someone else said without needing a 'kad' (that) clause.

  • Drop the 'kad' and use the past active participle (e.g., -ęs, -usi).
  • The subject of the reported action becomes the subject of the sentence.
  • Ensure the participle matches the gender and number of the reported speaker.
Subject (Nom) + Participle (Nom) + Auxiliary Verb (optional)

Participle Agreement Table

Gender Singular Plural
Masculine
-ęs
-ę
Feminine
-usi
-usios

Meanings

This construction allows a speaker to report information or events heard from others, emphasizing the hearsay nature of the claim.

1

Reported hearsay

Attributing an action or state to someone else based on rumor or report.

“Jis esąs girdėjęs apie tai.”

“Ji sakoma išvykusi į užsienį.”

2

Subjective perception

Expressing a belief about someone's state.

“Jis atrodo pavargęs.”

“Jie laikomi atlikusiais darbą.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Narrative Hearsay with Participles
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + Participle
Jis dirbęs.
Negative
Subject + ne + Participle
Jis nedirbęs.
Hearsay
Subject + esą + Participle
Jis esą dirbęs.
Plural
Subject + Plural Participle
Jie dirbę.
Feminine
Subject + Fem Participle
Ji dirbusi.
Question
Ar + Subject + Participle?
Ar jis dirbęs?

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Teigiama, jog jis atvykęs.

Teigiama, jog jis atvykęs. (News/Gossip)

Neutral
Jis esą atvykęs.

Jis esą atvykęs. (News/Gossip)

Informell
Girdėjau, jis atvykęs.

Girdėjau, jis atvykęs. (News/Gossip)

Umgangssprache
Sako, atvažiavo.

Sako, atvažiavo. (News/Gossip)

Hearsay Flow

Reported Action

Source

  • Girdėjau I heard

Target

  • Jis He
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Beispiele nach Niveau

1

Jis esąs geras.

He is said to be good.

1

Ji esanti namuose.

She is said to be at home.

1

Jie esą atvykę vakar.

They are said to have arrived yesterday.

1

Girdėjau, jis esąs parašęs knygą.

I heard he is said to have written a book.

1

Manoma, jog jie esą atlikę visus darbus.

It is believed that they have completed all tasks.

1

Teigiama, jog šis įstatymas esąs priimtas neteisėtai.

It is claimed that this law was passed illegally.

Leicht verwechselbar

Narrative Hearsay with Participles vs. Kad clause vs Participle

Learners mix them up because both report speech.

Narrative Hearsay with Participles vs. Active vs Passive Participle

Learners use the wrong voice.

Narrative Hearsay with Participles vs. Present vs Past Participle

Learners use the wrong tense.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Jis sakė dirbęs.

✓

Jis sakė, kad dirbo.

A1 learners should stick to 'kad' clauses first.
✗

Ji dirbęs.

✓

Ji dirbusi.

Gender mismatch.
✗

Jie dirbęs.

✓

Jie dirbę.

Number mismatch.
✗

Jis esąs dirbęs.

✓

Jis esą dirbęs.

Redundant auxiliary.
✗

Jie esąs atvažiavę.

✓

Jie esą atvažiavę.

Agreement error.
✗

Ji esą atvažiavę.

✓

Ji esanti atvažiavusi.

Agreement error.
✗

Jis esąs atvažiavę.

✓

Jis esąs atvažiavęs.

Agreement error.
✗

Jie sakė esantys atvažiavę.

✓

Jie sakė esą atvažiavę.

Unnecessary complexity.
✗

Jis manomas atvažiavęs.

✓

Jis manomas atvažiavęs (correct, but check context).

Contextual usage.
✗

Ji esanti atvažiavę.

✓

Ji esanti atvažiavusi.

Gender agreement.
✗

Teigiama, kad jis esąs atvažiavęs.

✓

Teigiama, jog jis esąs atvažiavęs.

Stylistic preference.
✗

Jis esąs atvažiavęs vakar.

✓

Jis esąs atvažiavęs (vakar is implied).

Redundancy.
✗

Jie esą atvažiavę, bet nebuvo.

✓

Jie esą atvažiavę, bet nebuvo (correct).

Logic check.
✗

Ji esanti atvažiavusi, sako jie.

✓

Sako, ji esanti atvažiavusi.

Word order.

Satzmuster

Jis ___ (participle) ___.

Ji ___ (participle) ___.

Jie ___ (participle) ___.

Manoma, jog jis ___ (participle) ___.

Real World Usage

News report constant

Įtariamasis esąs pabėgęs.

Gossip very common

Jis esąs vedęs.

Work meeting common

Projektas esąs baigtas.

Travel occasional

Traukinys esąs vėluojantis.

Social media common

Girdėjau, esąs geras.

Academic common

Ši teorija esanti pripažinta.

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💡

Use 'esą'

Always use 'esą' when you want to be clear that it is hearsay.
⚠️

Gender matters

Don't forget to match the gender of the person you are talking about.
🎯

Keep it concise

This is the best way to avoid long 'kad' clauses.
💬

Be polite

Using this structure is a polite way to report rumors.

Smart Tips

Use 'esą' to sound like a journalist.

Jie sakė, kad atvyko. → Jie esą atvykę.

Use the participle to distance yourself.

Jis vedė. → Jis esąs vedęs.

Use it to cite sources.

Visi sako, kad jis padarė. → Jis esąs padaręs.

Use it to hedge.

Tai tiesa. → Tai esą tiesa.

Aussprache

dirbęs /dir-bes/

Participle endings

Ensure the 's' and 'i' sounds are clear.

Falling

Jis esą atvykęs ↘

Finality of the report.

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Think of 'esą' as 'I say' (phonetically similar).

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine a telephone wire connecting two people, with the participle hanging on the wire like a laundry item.

Rhyme

If you heard it from a friend, use a participle at the end.

Story

Jonas told me he worked. I say: 'Jonas dirbęs'. Now everyone knows it's just a rumor.

Word Web

esągirdėjausakomamanomateigiamaparticiple

Herausforderung

Find one news headline today and rewrite it using a participle structure.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Lithuanians use this to avoid direct confrontation in gossip.

Used in papers to cite common knowledge.

Standard for reporting unverified claims.

Derived from ancient Baltic participle systems.

Gesprächseinstiege

“

Ar girdėjai, kad jis esąs išvykęs?

“

Ką manai apie tai, kad ji esanti atlikusi darbą?

“

Ar tiesa, kad jie esą atvažiavę?

“

Kaip manai, kodėl jis esąs taip pasielgęs?

Tagebuch-Impulse

Write about a rumor you heard using the participle construction.
Summarize a news article using reported speech.
Describe a person's reputation using hearsay.
Report a meeting outcome.

Häufige Fehler

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

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Test Yourself

Fill in the correct participle.

Jis ___ (atvykti) vakar.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: atvykęs
Masculine singular past active participle.
Choose the correct sentence. Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ji esanti atvykusi.
Feminine singular agreement.
Correct the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Jie esąs atvykę.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jie esą atvykę.
Plural agreement.
Transform to participle. Sentence Transformation

Jis sakė, kad dirbo. ->

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jis esą dirbęs.
Participle hearsay.
Is this true? True False Rule

Participles in hearsay must agree in gender.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: True
Agreement is mandatory.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Ar jis atvyko? B: Girdėjau, jis ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: atvykęs
Masculine singular.
Build the sentence. Sentence Building

Jis / esą / atvykęs

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jis esą atvykęs.
Standard order.
Match gender. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dirbęs / dirbusi
Gender agreement.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Fill in the correct participle.

Jis ___ (atvykti) vakar.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: atvykęs
Masculine singular past active participle.
Choose the correct sentence. Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ji esanti atvykusi.
Feminine singular agreement.
Correct the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Jie esąs atvykę.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jie esą atvykę.
Plural agreement.
Transform to participle. Sentence Transformation

Jis sakė, kad dirbo. ->

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jis esą dirbęs.
Participle hearsay.
Is this true? True False Rule

Participles in hearsay must agree in gender.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: True
Agreement is mandatory.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Ar jis atvyko? B: Girdėjau, jis ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: atvykęs
Masculine singular.
Build the sentence. Sentence Building

Jis / esą / atvykęs

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jis esą atvykęs.
Standard order.
Match gender. Match Pairs

Match: Jis / Ji

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dirbęs / dirbusi
Gender agreement.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

It is more concise and sounds more professional.

Yes, but it changes the participle form.

Yes, it is often used in formal reports.

It will sound incorrect to a native speaker.

Yes, for gossip.

Most verbs work, but some are rare.

It adds a layer of hearsay.

It takes practice to get the agreement right.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish partial

Se dice que...

Lithuanian uses a participle, Spanish uses a verb phrase.

French partial

On dit que...

Lithuanian is more concise.

German partial

Konjunktiv I

German changes the verb mood, Lithuanian changes the verb form.

Japanese partial

~sou desu

Lithuanian is more integrated.

Arabic partial

Qila anna...

Arabic is a passive verb, Lithuanian is a participle.

Chinese partial

Ting shuo...

Chinese is a separate clause.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Related Grammar Rules

B1

The Present Passive Participle (-amas, -ima)
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