Mastering Korean Indirect Quotation: "-다고 하다" for Statements

Understanding Korean Indirect Quotation When you want to report what someone else said in Korean, you use indirect quotation patterns. The most fundamental pattern is -다고 하다 (dago hada), which is used to report statements or declarative sentences. Basic Structure: -다고 하다 The pattern works like this: Verb/Adjective stem + ㄴ/는다고 하다 Noun + (이)라고 하다 This is equivalent to saying 'says that...' or 'said that...' in English. When to Use Each Form For Verbs (Present Tense): • Direct speech: "저는 학교에 가요." (I go to school.) • Indirect speech: 그 사람은 학교에 간다고 해요. (That person says they go to school.) For Adjectives (Present Tense): • Direct speech: "날씨가 춥어요." (The weather is cold.) • Indirect speech: 그 사람은 날씨가 춥다고 해요. (That person says the weather is cold.) For Nouns: • Direct speech: "저는 학생이에요." (I am a student.) • Indirect speech: 그 사람은 학생이라고 해요. (That person says they are a student.) Common Examples You'll Hear Daily 친구가 배고프다고 해요. → My friend says they're hungry. 선생님이 내일 시험이 있다고 하셨어요. → The teacher said there's an exam tomorrow. 동생이 피곤해서 일찍 자겠다고 했어요. → My younger sibling said they'd sleep early because they're tired. 언니가 지금 바쁘다고 해요. → My older sister says she's busy now. Past and Future Tense Past Tense: Use -았/었다고 하다 • 엄마가 전화했다고 해요. (Mom says she called.) Future Tense: Use -겠다고 하다 or -(으)ㄹ 거라고 하다 • 오빠가 오겠다고 했어요. (My older brother said he would come.) • 친구가 내일 올 거라고 해요. (My friend says they will come tomorrow.) Tips for Mastery Practice changing direct quotes to indirect quotes - Take any Korean sentence and try reporting it using -다고 하다. Listen for it in K-dramas - Characters constantly use indirect quotation when talking about others. Remember the honorific form - Use 하셨어요 when reporting what someone respected said: "선생님이 열심히 공부하라고 하셨어요." Don't confuse with direct quotation - Direct quotation uses 라고 하다 with the exact quoted words: 친구가 "배고파"라고 했어요. Common Mistakes to Avoid Mixing up verb and adjective forms - Verbs use -ㄴ/는다고, adjectives use -다고 (no -ㄴ/는) Forgetting to change pronouns - When reporting, 저는 becomes 그 사람은 or the person's name Using polite endings inside the quotation - Don't say "간다고 해요요" - the politeness is only in 해요 Conclusion Mastering -다고 하다 is essential for natural Korean conversation. You'll use this pattern countless times when sharing information, gossiping with friends, or explaining what others have said. Start by practicing with simple sentences, and gradually work your way up to more complex statements. Before you know it, indirect quotation will become second nature!