Indirect Quotes and Reported Speech
Track who said what, how certain it is, and how the report is framed in connected text.
Common reported-speech patterns
Japanese has several ways to report what someone said. と言っていた reports what someone had said. とのことだ is common in formal messages. そうだ can report hearsay depending on context.
田中さんは、明日は休むと言っていた。
Tanaka said that he would be absent tomorrow.
と言っていた reports what Tanaka had said earlier.
担当者から、発送は金曜日になるとのことです。
According to the person in charge, shipping will be on Friday.
Formal reported information.
Practice guides for this lesson
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N3 Japanese grammar lessons
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