B1 · Intermedio Capítulo 18

Relaying Complex Messages and Rumors

6 Reglas totales
63 ejemplos
5 min
Reglas en este capítulo Práctica rápida

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of relaying information, gossip, and plans with native-level confidence.

  • Report past statements and future intentions accurately.
  • Transform direct questions and commands into natural indirect speech.
  • Utilize casual short-form reporting to sound like a local.
From direct quotes to social storytelling mastery.

Lo que aprenderás

Ready to become the ultimate Korean conversationalist? This chapter isn't just about repeating words; it's about mastering the art of relaying complex messages, rumors, and conversations with precision and natural flow! We're diving deep into six essential patterns that will make your Korean sound incredibly natural. You'll learn how to accurately report past statements with 다고 (Said that [verb]ed), and share future plans or predictions using ㄹ/을 거라고 (I heard they will...). Imagine confidently sharing gossip about what your favorite K-pop idol *said they'd do* next! Ever struggled to report a question? Not anymore! With 냐고/으냐고 묻다, you'll effortlessly turn direct questions into reported ones, just like saying '...asked if...' in English. Need to pass on an order? We'll tackle (으)라고 하다 for reporting commands ('He told me to...'), even navigating the tricky 주다/달다 distinctions. And for those group plans, -자고 하다 lets you report suggestions or proposals like 'She suggested we...' But the real game-changer for sounding native? The short reported speech form, -ㄴ/은/는대. This casual gem lets you quickly and smoothly relay information you heard from others, like 'I heard that...' without a mouthful of words. By the end of this chapter, you'll move beyond direct quotes to truly *converse* in Korean, making your conversations richer and more engaging. Get ready to sound more natural, more expressive, and totally in the know!

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Accurately report what a friend said they did yesterday.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to: Relay a question or command heard from a third party.

Guía del capítulo

Overview

Welcome to your next big step in mastering Korean grammar B1! This chapter is your ticket to becoming a truly natural and engaging Korean speaker. We're moving beyond simple sentences and diving into the exciting world of relaying complex messages and sharing what others have said, asked, or even suggested.
This isn't just about memorizing rules; it's about adding nuance and flow to your conversations, making you sound incredibly authentic. At the CEFR B1 level, you're ready to tackle these sophisticated structures that are essential for everyday communication in Korea.
Imagine effortlessly sharing gossip about a K-pop idol's next move, recounting a friend's exciting travel plans, or relaying an important message from your boss – all with precision and ease. This guide will equip you with six powerful Korean grammar patterns that cover every scenario of indirect speech. You'll learn to report past statements, future predictions, questions, commands, and suggestions, making your dialogue richer and more dynamic.
By mastering these patterns, you'll significantly enhance your conversational abilities. No more direct quotes that sound clunky; instead, you'll seamlessly integrate reported speech, reflecting the natural rhythm of Korean conversations. Get ready to transform your Korean language skills and truly connect with native speakers on a deeper level!

How This Grammar Works

This chapter introduces six crucial Korean grammar patterns for indirect speech, allowing you to rephrase what someone else said without directly quoting them.
First, for relaying statements, we use -다고 하다. This covers both verbs and adjectives. For present tense verbs, you attach -는다고 하다 (e.g., 먹다 becomes 먹는다고 하다), and for adjectives, -다고 하다 (e.g., 예쁘다 becomes 예쁘다고 하다). For past tense, it's -았/었다고 하다 (e.g., 갔다 becomes 갔다고 하다).
* 민수 씨가 어제 영화를 봤다고 했어요. (Minsu said he watched a movie yesterday.)
* 그 식당 음식이 맛있다고 해요. (They say the food at that restaurant is delicious.)
To report future plans or predictions, we use -ㄹ/을 거라고 하다. This combines the future tense ending with the reported speech marker.
* 친구가 내일 파티에 올 거라고 했어요. (My friend said they would come to the party tomorrow.)
* 비가 올 거라고 들었어요. (I heard it's going to rain.)
When you need to report a question, the pattern is -냐고/으냐고 묻다/하다. The verb 묻다 (to ask) is commonly used.
* 선생님이 숙제가 있냐고 물어봤어요. (The teacher asked if there was homework.)
* 친구가 어디 가냐고 했어요. (My friend asked where I was going.)
For reporting commands or requests, we use -(으)라고 하다. Remember the distinction for give me requests: -달라고 하다 when the speaker is asking for something for themselves, and -주라고 하다 when asking for something for someone else.
* 엄마가 방을 청소하라고 했어요. (Mom told me to clean my room.)
* 친구가 저에게 책을 달라고 했어요. (My friend asked me to give them the book.)
To report suggestions or proposals, similar to "let's," we use -자고 하다.
* 수미가 같이 밥 먹자고 했어요. (Sumi suggested we eat together.)
Finally, for a casual and natural flow, master the short reported speech form: -ㄴ/은/는대. This is a shortened version of -다고/라고/냐고/자고 하다 and is very common in informal conversations.
* 친구가 오늘 바쁘대. (My friend said they're busy today.) (Short for 바쁘다고 해.)
* 내일 영화 보러 가재. (They suggested we go watch a movie tomorrow.) (Short for 가자고 해.)

Common Mistakes

  1. 1✗ Wrong: 친구가 어디 가다고 물어봤어요.
✓ Correct: 친구가 어디 가냐고 물어봤어요.
*Explanation:* When reporting a question, you must use the question form -냐고/으냐고 with 묻다/하다, not the statement form -다고.
  1. 1✗ Wrong: 엄마가 숙제를 같이 하라고 했어요. (Meaning: Mom suggested we do homework together.)
✓ Correct: 엄마가 숙제를 같이 하자고 했어요.
*Explanation:* -(으)라고 하다 is for commands (do it!). If you want to report a suggestion ("let's do it!"), you need to use -자고 하다.
  1. 1✗ Wrong: 사장님이 회의가 늦겠대. (Meaning: The boss said the meeting would be late.)
✓ Correct: 사장님이 회의가 늦을 거라고 했어요.
*Explanation:* The short reported speech form -ㄴ/은/는대 is highly informal. It's inappropriate to use it when speaking about or to superiors like your boss (사장님). Always use the full, polite forms in formal situations.

Real Conversations

A

A

민수 씨가 내일 뭐 한대요? (What did Minsu say he's doing tomorrow?)
B

B

민수 씨가 내일 친구랑 영화 보러 갈 거라고 했어요. (Minsu said he's going to watch a movie with a friend tomorrow.)
A

A

어제 선생님이 뭐라고 물어보셨어요? (What did the teacher ask yesterday?)
B

B

선생님이 다음 주까지 숙제를 내라고 하셨어요. (The teacher told us to turn in the homework by next week.)
A

A

수미가 왜 이렇게 피곤해 보여? (Why does Sumi look so tired?)
B

B

어제 밤새 게임했대. (She said she played games all night last night.)

Quick FAQ

Q

How do I use Korean indirect speech for adjectives?

For adjectives, you generally use -다고 하다. For example, '예쁘다' (to be pretty) becomes '예쁘다고 하다' (said it was pretty). You attach -다고 하다 directly to the adjective stem.

Q

What's the difference between -라고 하다 and -달라고 하다 in Korean reported commands?

-라고 하다 is a general command, telling someone to do something. -달라고 하다 is a specific type of command used when the speaker is asking someone to *give something to them* or *do something for them*. For example, '돈을 내라고 했어요' (He told them to pay money) vs. '돈을 달라고 했어요' (He asked them to give *him* money).

Q

Can I use -ㄴ/은/는대 in formal situations?

No, -ㄴ/은/는대 is an informal, casual form of reported speech and should be avoided in formal settings or when speaking to superiors. Stick to the full, polite forms like -다고 하다 and -라고 하다 when formality is required.

Q

Are there different forms of indirect speech for different tenses in Korean?

Yes! The tense of the original statement is often reflected *before* the indirect speech ending. For example, '먹었다' (ate) becomes '먹었다고 하다' (said they ate), and '먹을 것이다' (will eat) becomes '먹을 거라고 하다' (said they would eat).

Cultural Context

In Korean culture, using indirect speech is incredibly common, especially to soften direct statements, avoid confrontation, or show politeness. Instead of directly stating an opinion, Koreans often say "They say it's good
(좋다고 해요) or
I heard it's good" (좋대요). The short forms like -ㄴ/은/는대 are prevalent in casual conversations among friends and family, making communication faster and more fluid.
Mastering these forms will make your Korean sound much more natural and integrated into everyday social interactions.

Ejemplos clave (8)

1

Jessica said she came to Korea yesterday.

Jessica dijo que vino a Corea ayer.

Dijo que [verbo] - Discurso indirecto pasado
2

I heard that movie was really interesting.

Escuché que esa película estuvo muy interesante.

Dijo que [verbo] - Discurso indirecto pasado
3

민수가 내일 학교에 올 거라고 했어요.

Minsu dijo que vendrá a la escuela mañana.

Reportando el futuro: Escuché que van a... (ㄹ/을 거라고)
4

기상청에서 오늘 밤에 눈이 올 거라고 해요.

La oficina meteorológica dice que nevará esta noche.

Reportando el futuro: Escuché que van a... (ㄹ/을 거라고)
5

The doctor told me to quit smoking.

El doctor me dijo que dejara de fumar.

Reportar mandatos: "Dile que..." ((으)라고 하다)
6

My friend told me to come early tomorrow.

Mi amigo me dijo que viniera temprano mañana.

Reportar mandatos: "Dile que..." ((으)라고 하다)
7

My friend suggested we have a drink tonight.

Mi amigo sugirió que tomemos algo esta noche.

Discurso indirecto: "Vamos a..." (-jago hada)
8

My boyfriend said let's break up.

Mi novio dijo de terminar la relación.

Discurso indirecto: "Vamos a..." (-jago hada)

Consejos y trucos (4)

🎯

El atajo 'Dae'

En la vida real, ~았/었다고 해 casi siempre se acorta a ~았/었대 para sonar más natural. «민수가 어제 왔대.»
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Dijo que [verbo] - Discurso indirecto pasado
💡

El matiz del 'Mensajero'

Al usar esta gramática, dejas claro que solo estás pasando la información. ¡Es ideal si no quieres ser 100% responsable si el plan cambia! Por ejemplo: «민수가 올 거라고 했어요.»
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportando el futuro: Escuché que van a... (ㄹ/을 거라고)
🎯

Atajo al hablar

En la calle, los coreanos suelen saltarse el «으» o el «느». Así que «좋으냐고» suena como «좋냐고» y «가느냐고» como «가냐고». ¡Suena más natural! «바쁘냐고 했어요.»
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportar Preguntas: '...preguntó si...' (냐고/으냐고 묻다)
🎯

La gran diferencia con 'Dar'

Fíjate siempre en quién recibe el objeto. Si el hablante original dijo '¡Dámelo!', debes usar «달라고». Si dijo 'Dáselo a él', usa «주라고».
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportar mandatos: "Dile que..." ((으)라고 하다)

Vocabulario clave (5)

전하다 (jeonhada) to convey/relay 소문 (somun) rumor 말씀하다 (malsseumhada) to speak (honorific) 물어보다 (mureoboda) to ask 제안하다 (jeanhada) to suggest

Real-World Preview

coffee

Office Gossip

Review Summary

  • Verb + -다고 하다
  • Verb + -ㄹ/을 거라고 하다
  • Verb + -냐고 묻다
  • Verb + -(으)라고 하다
  • Verb + -자고 하다
  • Verb + -ㄴ/은/는대

Errores comunes

You cannot use -다고 for questions. Use -냐고 for inquiries.

Wrong: 그가 집에 간다고 묻었어요.
Correcto: 그가 집에 가냐고 물었어요.

Reported commands drop the polite honorific suffix inside the quote.

Wrong: 선생님은 공부를 하세요라고 했어요.
Correcto: 선생님은 공부를 하라고 하셨어요.

In casual settings, -대 is much more natural than the full -다고 해요.

Wrong: 내일 비가 온다고 해요 (shortened to 내일 비가 온대요 is correct, but using long form in casual speech sounds stiff).
Correcto: 내일 비가 온대요.

Next Steps

You've successfully mastered the art of reporting! Use these new tools to keep your conversations lively and accurate. See you in the next chapter!

Listen to a K-drama and identify one reported statement.

Continue to: Respecting the Subject: Honorific Verb Forms

Práctica rápida (10)

¿Qué frase reporta correctamente 'No llores' (울지 마)?

Elige la frase correcta:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 울지 말라고 했어요.
Las órdenes negativas usan la forma -지 말라고 하다.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportar mandatos: "Dile que..." ((으)라고 하다)

Encuentra y corrige el error al reportar 'Come tu pan' (빵을 먹어).

엄마가 빵을 먹라고 했어요.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 엄마가 빵을 먹으라고 했어요.
먹다 termina en consonante, por lo que requiere -으라고.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportar mandatos: "Dile que..." ((으)라고 하다)

Encuentra y corrige el error en la oración.

수진 씨가 이 책을 읽느냐고 물었어요.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 수진 씨가 이 책을 읽었냐고 물었어요.
Aunque «읽느냐고» es gramaticalmente posible para el presente, normalmente preguntamos si alguien *ha leído* un libro, por lo que el pasado «-었냐고» es más natural.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportar Preguntas: '...preguntó si...' (냐고/으냐고 묻다)

Completa el espacio usando la forma de reporte futuro.

지수가 내일 파티에 (오다) ___ 했어요.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 올 거라고
Como la acción (venir a la fiesta) ocurre mañana (내일), debemos usar la forma de reporte futuro «올 거라고».

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportando el futuro: Escuché que van a... (ㄹ/을 거라고)

Encuentra y corrige el error de conjugación.

Find and fix the mistake:

그 사람은 학생래.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 그 사람은 학생이래.
Para sustantivos que terminan en consonante (학생), debemos usar -이래.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Discurso Indirecto Corto: Escuché que... (-ㄴ/은/는대)

Encuentra y corrige el error en el reporte futuro.

Find and fix the mistake:

친구가 피자를 먹거라고 했어요.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 친구가 피자를 먹을 거라고 했어요.
Los verbos que terminan en batchim como «먹다» deben llevar «을 거라고».

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportando el futuro: Escuché que van a... (ㄹ/을 거라고)

¿Qué oración reporta correctamente: "점심 먹었어요?" (¿Almorzaste?)

Elige la oración correcta:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 엄마가 점심을 먹었냐고 물어보셨어요.
Para reportar una pregunta en pasado, usamos la raíz en pasado («먹었다») y añadimos «-냐고».

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportar Preguntas: '...preguntó si...' (냐고/으냐고 묻다)

Completa el espacio para reportar la pregunta: "지금 바빠요?" (¿Estás ocupado ahora?)

친구가 저에게 지금 ______ 물었어요.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 바쁘냐고
«바쁘다» es un adjetivo y su raíz termina en vocal, así que añadimos «-냐고» para reportar la pregunta.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportar Preguntas: '...preguntó si...' (냐고/으냐고 묻다)

¿Qué oración reporta correctamente un plan futuro?

Elige la oración gramaticalmente correcta:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 선생님이 시험이 쉬울 거라고 했어요.
«쉬울 거라고» es la forma correcta de reportar una predicción futura sobre un adjetivo (쉬우다/쉽다).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportando el futuro: Escuché que van a... (ㄹ/을 거라고)

Rellena el espacio con la forma correcta de '가다' (ir).

선생님이 교실로 ___-라고 하셨어요.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 가
가다 termina en vocal, así que simplemente añadimos -라고.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reportar mandatos: "Dile que..." ((으)라고 하다)

Score: /10

Preguntas frecuentes (6)

Es el tiempo: «았/었다고» cita algo que ya pasó (Dijo que comió), mientras que «ㄴ/는다고» cita el presente (Dice que come). «먹었다고 했어요» vs «먹는다고 했어요».
¡Claro! En pasado, los adjetivos se comportan igual que los verbos: «좋았다» se convierte en «좋았다고».
Es la versión hablada e informal de «ㄹ 것이라고». Puedes hacerlo cortés añadiendo «요» al final: «거라고요».
¡Claro! Para sustantivos, usa «일 거라고». Ejemplo: «선물일 거라고 생각해요» (Creo que será un regalo).
Sirve para reportar una pregunta que alguien más hizo. Es como pasar de un ¿Estás bien? a un
Ella me preguntó si estaba bien
. «괜찮냐고 물었어요».
Depende de la raíz del adjetivo. Si termina en consonante como «좋다», usas «-으냐고» («좋으냐고»). Si termina en vocal como «예쁘다», usas «-냐고» («예쁘냐고»).
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