HYEJU LANGUAGE LAB · INTERMEDIATE 08 · LESSON 93
-다고 하다 / -ㄴ/는다고 하다Say that… (reporting a statement)
When you pass on what someone said, Korean turns their sentence into the plain form and adds -고 하다. 민수가 “바빠요”라고 했어요 (direct quote) becomes 민수가 바쁘다고 했어요 (indirect). The ending changes with the word type: verb, adjective, noun, or past.
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A situation you already know
Your teacher asks where Minsu is. You pass on his message:
Minsu said he’s going to be a bit late today.
Minsu’s words were 오늘 좀 늦어요. 늦다 is a verb with a final consonant, so it becomes 늦는다고, and 했어요 shows that he said it earlier.
Build the form
- 가다 → 가 + ㄴ다고 → 간다고 해요Complete expression
- 먹다 → 먹 + 는다고 → 먹는다고 해요Complete expression
- 살다 → 사 + ㄴ다고 (ㄹ 탈락) → 산다고 해요Complete expression
- 좋다 → 좋 + 다고 → 좋다고 해요Complete expression
- 의사 → 의사 + 라고 → 의사라고 해요Complete expression
- 갔다 → 갔 + 다고 → 갔다고 해요Complete expression
- Action verbs, vowel stem: -ㄴ다고 → 간다고, 온다고. ㄹ stems drop ㄹ: 살다 → 산다고.
- Action verbs, consonant stem: -는다고 → 먹는다고, 읽는다고.
- Adjectives and 있다/없다: -다고 → 좋다고, 바쁘다고, 재미있다고.
- Nouns: (이)라고 → 학생이라고, 의사라고. Negative: 아니라고.
- Past: -았/었다고 → 갔다고, 먹었다고. Future: -(으)ㄹ 거라고 → 갈 거라고.
- 하다 can be past or present: 했어요 (said), 해요 (says / they say).
Think in Korean · an English-speaker’s guide
- English often shifts the tense back (“He said he was busy”). Korean keeps the original time: 바쁘다고 했어요 means he was busy then; 내일 온다고 했어요 still points to tomorrow.
- Adjust people and places to your point of view: 민수: “제가 갈게요.” → 민수 씨가 자기가 온다고 했어요.
- 해요 with no clear speaker often means “they say / I heard”: 내일 비가 온다고 해요 (They say it’ll rain tomorrow).
Six examples in context
My younger sibling said they’re doing homework now.
My friend said this movie is really fun.
I hear that person is a Korean teacher.
Jisu said she went to Busan yesterday.
The news said it will snow tomorrow.
The boss said the meeting will be next week.
Compare with related patterns
직접 인용 “…”라고
민수 씨가 “바빠요.”라고 했어요.A direct quote keeps the exact words in quotation marks and adds 라고.
-대요
민수 씨가 바쁘대요.“Minsu says he’s busy.” The spoken short form of 바쁘다고 해요 (Lesson 96).
-냐고 하다
민수 씨가 바쁘냐고 물었어요.To report a question, use -냐고, not -다고 (Lesson 94).
| Pattern | Choose it when… |
|---|---|
| -다고 하다 | reporting a statement in your own words |
| “…”라고 하다 | repeating the exact words |
| -대요 | the same, shortened in speech |
| -냐고 하다 | reporting a question |
Common mistakes
Present action verbs need -ㄴ/는다고.
Adjectives take -다고 only.
Nouns take (이)라고.
Remove the polite ending and use the plain form; for the past, -았/었다고.
Mini practice · six questions
Try each one before opening the answer. Translation answers are models; other natural wording is possible.
- Fill in the blank민수 씨가 지금 도서관에서 ______ 했어요. (공부하다)
Check answer
민수 씨가 지금 도서관에서 공부한다고 했어요.
Vowel-stem verb → -ㄴ다고.
- Fill in the blank그 식당은 음식이 아주 ______ 해요. (맵다)
Check answer
그 식당은 음식이 아주 맵다고 해요.
Adjective → -다고.
- Choose the natural form친구가 서울에 (산다고 / 살는다고) 했어요.
Check answer
산다고
살다: drop ㄹ + ㄴ다고.
- Choose the natural form그분은 (간호사라고 / 간호사다고) 들었어요.
Check answer
간호사라고
Noun → (이)라고.
- Fix the mistake유나 씨가 어제 영화를 본다고 했어요. (어제 이미 봤어요.)
Check answer
유나 씨가 어제 영화를 봤다고 했어요.
She already saw it → 봤다고.
- Say it in KoreanYuna said she is going to Busan tomorrow.
Check answer
유나 씨가 내일 부산에 간다고 했어요.
No tense shift: 내일 + 간다고.
Today’s key point
Verb: -ㄴ/는다고 · Adjective, 있다/없다: -다고 · Noun: (이)라고 · Past: -았/었다고 · Future: -(으)ㄹ 거라고 + 하다. Keep the original time and adjust the point of view.
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