B1 Expression Neutro

～そうです (伝聞)

~sou desu (denbun)

I hear that ~

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use ～そうです to report information you heard from someone else or read in a source.

  • Means: 'I heard that...' or 'It is said that...'
  • Used in: Sharing news, relaying messages, or discussing rumors.
  • Don't confuse: Do not mix with the 'looks like' そうです (which follows stems).
👂 (Ear/Listening) + 🗣️ (Speaking) = 伝聞 (Hearsay)

Explanation at your level:

Use this to say what you heard. If someone tells you 'It is hot', you say 'It is hot, I heard' (暑いそうです). It is very useful for talking about news or weather.
At this level, you start using it to relay simple information. It is great for telling friends about plans. Remember to use the plain form of the verb before adding そうです.
B1 learners use this to navigate social situations. It is essential for relaying messages in the workplace or school. You can now distinguish between hearsay (そうです) and personal conjecture (そうです).
At B2, you understand the nuance of 'distancing.' You use it to report information neutrally, which is vital for professional communication. You can also contrast it with '～とのことです' for higher formality.
C1 mastery involves understanding the evidential nature of Japanese. You recognize how 伝聞 functions as a modality marker that shifts the responsibility of truth-value to the source, a key feature of Japanese discourse analysis.
At C2, you analyze the interplay between 伝聞 and other reportative markers like '～らしい' or '～ようだ'. You understand how these markers construct the speaker's epistemic stance within the complex social hierarchy of Japanese interaction.

Significado

Reporting what one has heard.

🌍

Contexto cultural

Used to maintain harmony by not taking ownership of rumors.

🎯

Check the form!

Always check if the verb is in the dictionary form before adding そうです.

Significado

Reporting what one has heard.

🎯

Check the form!

Always check if the verb is in the dictionary form before adding そうです.

Teste-se

Complete the sentence: 'I heard the store is closed.'

店は{閉まる|しまる}＿＿＿＿。

✓ Correto! ✗ Quase. Resposta certa: そうです

Use plain form + そうです.

🎉 Pontuação: /1

Perguntas frequentes

1 perguntas

No, only for others.

Frases relacionadas

🔗

～らしい

similar

It seems like

Onde usar

💼

Work Update

Colleague: 部長は今日休みだそうです。

formal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'Sou' as 'Sound'—if you heard the 'sound' of it, use そうです!

Visual Association

Imagine a telephone wire connecting two people. The person on the other end is whispering, and you are repeating it with 'そうです'.

Rhyme

Hear it, say it, add the 'sou', it's the hearsay rule for you!

Story

Kenji told me it would rain. I tell my friend: '雨が降るそうです'. My friend asks: 'Did you see the clouds?' I say: 'No, I just heard it!'

Word Web

伝聞聞く噂情報～とのこと～らしい

Desafio

Listen to a news headline and report it to a friend using '～そうです'.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Se dice que...

Japanese requires specific verb conjugation.

French high

On dit que...

Japanese is a suffix, French is a prefix phrase.

German high

Man sagt, dass...

German uses a subordinate clause structure.

Chinese high

听说 (tīngshuō)

Chinese uses a verb-object compound.

Korean high

-다고 하다

Korean has more complex honorific levels.

Portuguese high

Dizem que...

Japanese is more formal.

Arabic moderate

يُقال أن (yuqal anna)

Arabic is more formal/literary.

Japanese n/a

～そうです

N/A

Easily Confused

～そうです (伝聞) vs ～そうです (conjecture)

Looks the same.

Conjecture uses stem (e.g., 降りそう), hearsay uses plain form (e.g., 降るそう).

Perguntas frequentes (1)

No, only for others.

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