B1 Expressions & Patterns 5 min read Facile

Expressing Hearsay with ~sou da (I heard that...)

Use plain form plus ~sou da to relay information from a source without taking personal responsibility for its truth.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use ~sou da after a plain-form verb to report information you heard from someone else.

  • Attach to plain form: {雨|あめ}が{降|ふ}るそうです (I heard it will rain).
  • Works with adjectives: {高|たか}いそうです (I heard it is expensive).
  • Works with nouns: {学生|がくせい}だそうです (I heard they are a student).
Plain Form Sentence + そうです

Overview

Ever played the 'telephone game' as a kid? One person whispers a secret. It travels through the room.
By the end, it’s totally different! In Japanese, ~sou da is your tool for this. It lets you pass on information you heard elsewhere.
You aren't saying it's true yourself. You are just the messenger. Think of it as a verbal shield.
If the information is wrong, don't blame me! I just heard it. It’s perfect for office gossip or news.
You’ll hear it on TV constantly. It’s a B1 staple for a reason. It adds layers to your conversations.
You move from stating facts to sharing perspectives. It makes you sound much more natural. Let’s dive into how to use it properly.

How This Grammar Works

This pattern acts like a 'quote' tag. You take a complete sentence. You add sou da to the very end.
It doesn't change the meaning of the original sentence. It just adds the 'I heard that' context. It’s like adding a source link to a tweet.
You are telling your listener where the info came from. Usually, you heard it from the news, a friend, or read it online. If you want to specify the source, use ~ni yoru to.
For example, 'According to the news...' is nyu-su ni yoru to. This makes you sound very professional and credible. It’s like a grammar traffic light.
It tells people to proceed with caution because the info is secondhand.

Formation Pattern

1
For Verbs: Use the plain form (dictionary, past, or negative). Add sou da directly. Example: taberu becomes taberu sou da.
2
For I-Adjectives: Keep the final i. Add sou da. Example: oishii becomes oishii sou da. Don't drop that i!
3
For Na-Adjectives: Add da after the adjective. Then add sou da. Example: kirei becomes kirei da sou da.
4
For Nouns: Add da after the noun. Then add sou da. Example: ame becomes ame da sou da.
5
Politeness: Change da to desu for formal situations. Use sou desu in job interviews or with teachers.

When To Use It

You use this when you have a specific source. Maybe you saw a post on Instagram. Maybe your boss mentioned a meeting change.
It’s great for relaying messages. 'Tanaka-san said he will be late.' Use it when the info is relatively reliable. If you are just guessing, there are better patterns.
Use it when you want to avoid taking 100% responsibility. If you say 'It will rain,' and it doesn't, you look bad. If you say 'I heard it will rain,' you're safe!
It’s perfect for talking about weather forecasts. Use it in the office to report what clients said. Use it at home to tell your family what’s for dinner.

When Not To Use It

Don't use this if you saw something with your own eyes. If you see a cake and it looks yummy, this is wrong. That would be 'appearance' sou da, which is different.
Don't use it for things you are absolutely certain of. If you are the one getting married, don't use sou da! That would be very weird.
'I heard I am getting married?' Your partner might be upset! Also, avoid it if the information is just a vague rumor. For thin rumors, ~rashii is often a better fit.
Don't use it if you want to sound like the ultimate authority. Use it when you are the humble middleman of information.

Common Mistakes

The biggest mistake is dropping the i in I-adjectives. If you say oishisou, you mean 'It looks delicious.' If you say oishii sou, you mean 'I heard it's delicious.' Yes, even native speakers might trip if they speak too fast. Another classic error is forgetting da for nouns. Ame sou da sounds like 'rainy-ish.' You must say ame da sou da. Think of da as the glue for nouns and na-adjectives. Also, don't mix up the past tense. If the event happened in the past, put the past tense *before* sou da. Itta sou da means 'I heard they went.' It's easy to get these flipped. Stay sharp!

Contrast With Similar Patterns

You might know ~rashii. It also means 'I heard.' But ~rashii is more like 'It seems like' or 'based on what I've seen/heard.' It’s softer and more based on your own judgment. ~sou da is a more direct report of information.
Then there is ~tte. This is the informal, 'cool' version of ~sou da. You'll use ~tte with friends at a bar.
Use ~sou da or ~sou desu in more structured environments. Finally, compare it to ~mitai da. ~mitai da is for visual evidence or comparisons.
If someone is acting like a child, use mitai. If you heard they are a child, use sou da. They aren't interchangeable!

Quick FAQ

Q

Is it okay for formal writing?

Yes, just use ~sou desu or ~da sou de aru in essays.

Q

Can I use it for my own feelings?

No. You don't 'hear' your own feelings from others.

Q

What if I don't know the source?

You can still use it, but ~rashii might feel more natural.

Q

Is the 'appearance' version different?

Yes! Appearance drops the i or na. Hearsay keeps the full plain form.

Q

Does it work with negative sentences?

Absolutely. Konai sou da means 'I heard they aren't coming.'

Formation Table

Type Plain Form Hearsay Form
Verb
行く
行くそうです
i-Adj
高い
高いそうです
na-Adj
静かだ
静かだそうです
Noun
学生だ
学生だそうです

Meanings

Indicates that the speaker is relaying information obtained from a third party or external source.

1

Hearsay

Reporting information heard from others.

“{彼|かれ}は{来|く}るそうです。”

“{店|みせ}は{閉|し}まったそうです。”

2

News/Rumor

Relaying general information or news.

“{新|あたら}しい{映画|えいが}は{面白|おもしろ}いそうです。”

“{彼|かれ}は{結婚|けっこん}するそうです。”

Reference Table

Reference table for Expressing Hearsay with ~sou da (I heard that...)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Plain + そうです
行くそうです
Negative
Plain Neg + そうです
行かないそうです
Past
Plain Past + そうです
行ったそうです
Noun/na-Adj
Plain + だそうです
静かだそうです

Spectre de formalité

Formel
彼は来るそうです。

彼は来るそうです。 (Social)

Neutre
彼は来るそうです。

彼は来るそうです。 (Social)

Informel
彼は来るそうだよ。

彼は来るそうだよ。 (Social)

Argot
来るってさ。

来るってさ。 (Social)

Hearsay vs Appearance

Sou da

Source

  • 耳 Ears

Evidence

  • 他人 Others
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Exemples par niveau

1

{明日|あした}は{雨|あめ}だそうです。

I heard it will rain tomorrow.

2

{彼|かれ}は{忙|いそが}しいそうです。

I heard he is busy.

1

{新|あたら}しい{店|みせ}は{美味|おい}しいそうです。

I heard the new restaurant is delicious.

2

{試験|しけん}は{難|むずか}しいそうです。

I heard the exam is difficult.

1

{会議|かいぎ}は{延期|えんき}されるそうです。

I heard the meeting will be postponed.

2

{彼|かれ}は{来週|らいしゅう}{帰国|きこく}するそうです。

I heard he is returning to his country next week.

1

{新|あたら}しい{プロジェクト|ぷろじぇくと}は{成功|せいこう}したそうです。

I heard the new project was a success.

2

{彼|かれ}は{昇進|しょうしん}するそうです。

I heard he is getting a promotion.

1

{政府|せいふ}は{新|あたら}しい{法律|ほうりつ}を{導入|どうにゅう}するそうです。

I heard the government is introducing a new law.

2

{彼|かれ}は{辞職|じしょく}する{意向|いこう}だそうです。

I heard he intends to resign.

1

{専門家|せんもんか}によると、{経済|けいざい}は{回復|かいふく}するそうです。

According to experts, the economy will recover.

2

{彼|かれ}の{研究|けんきゅう}は{評価|ひょうか}されたそうです。

I heard his research has been evaluated.

Facile à confondre

Expressing Hearsay with ~sou da (I heard that...) vs ～そうです (Hearsay) vs ～そうです (Appearance)

They look the same.

Erreurs courantes

✗

行きますそうです

✓

行くそうです

Use plain form.
✗

雨そうです

✓

雨だそうです

Need 'da' for nouns.
✗

高いだそうです

✓

高いそうです

No 'da' for i-adjectives.
✗

忙しいだそうです

✓

忙しいそうです

i-adjectives don't take 'da'.
✗

綺麗そうです

✓

綺麗だそうです

na-adjectives need 'da'.
✗

食べたそうです

✓

食べたそうです

Wait, this is correct, but learners often use past tense incorrectly.
✗

行くそうでした

✓

行くそうです

The hearsay marker itself doesn't change tense.
✗

雨が降るそう

✓

雨が降るそうです

Need polite ending.
✗

彼が来るそうです

✓

彼は来るそうです

Particle usage.

Structures de phrases

___ そうです。

Real World Usage

Texting very common

明日雨だって！

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💡

Plain Form is Key

Always check your plain form before adding 'sou da'.

Smart Tips

Use plain form.

行きますそうです → 行くそうです

Prononciation

sou-desu

Intonation

Keep a flat pitch on 'sou'.

Neutral

行くそうです↑

Reporting facts.

Mémorise-le

Moyen mnémotechnique

Sou da sounds like 'So, that...' — 'So, that is what I heard!'

Association visuelle

Imagine a telephone wire connecting two people. One person is whispering into the phone, and the other is saying 'Sou da!'

Rhyme

When you hear the news from a friend, add 'sou da' at the end.

Story

Tanaka-san told me it would rain. I told my friend, 'Ame ga furu sou da.' My friend nodded, understanding I heard it from Tanaka.

Word Web

聞く噂情報ニュース伝える話

Défi

Ask three friends about their plans today and report them using '...sou desu'.

Notes culturelles

Using hearsay shows you are careful about facts.

Derived from 'sou' (appearance) + 'da' (copula).

Amorces de conversation

“

What did you hear about the weather?

Sujets d'écriture

Write about news you heard today.

Erreurs courantes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Choose the right form. Choix multiple

彼が___そうです。

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 行く
Plain form required.

Score: /1

Exercices pratiques

1 exercises
Choose the right form. Choix multiple

彼が___そうです。

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 行く
Plain form required.

Score: /1

FAQ (1)

No, it's for reporting others.

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 high

Se dice que...

Spanish uses a prefix; Japanese uses a suffix.

French high

On dit que...

French is a phrase; Japanese is a grammatical particle.

German moderate

Soll...

German changes the verb; Japanese adds a suffix.

Arabic moderate

Yuqal anna...

Arabic is sentence-initial; Japanese is sentence-final.

Japanese n/a

～そうです

N/A

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Nominalization: Turning Verbs into Nouns with koto and no
Next
Expressing Change: ~ni naru and ~ku naru (Becoming)

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