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N5

Quoting with と

About 9 minutes · written and reviewed by Haruki Yamamoto

Section 1 of 3

Quoting words and short lines

Place と after the quoted word or sentence, then add a verb such as 言う or 書く. This is one of the most useful patterns for reading reported speech.

  1. Target signal

    「ありがとう」と言った。

    I said, “Thank you.”

    A short direct quote can be only one word.

    Vocabulary notes
    ありがとう
    thank you
    あ
    ah; oh
    が
    subject marker

  2. Compare in context

    田中さんは「行く」と言った。

    Tanaka said, “I’ll go.”

    The quoted content comes before と.

    Vocabulary notes
    田中さんたなかさん
    Tanaka
    さん
    Mr.; Ms.; polite name suffix
    田中たなか
    Tanaka

  3. Compare in context

    ノートに「休み」と書いた。

    I wrote “day off” in the notebook.

    You can also quote a written word or label.

    Vocabulary notes
    ノート
    notebook
    いた
    was there
    休みやすみ
    day off; break; holiday

Section 2 of 3

Quotation marks help, but と does the real work

In many real sentences, the quote is not surrounded by quotation marks. You still find the quoted content by reading the words before と and then checking the verb after it.

  1. Target signal

    母は明日休むと言った。

    My mother said that she would rest tomorrow.

    The quote is a full sentence without quotation marks.

    Vocabulary notes
    休むやすむ
    to rest
    明日あした
    tomorrow
    と
    and; with; that

  2. Preview

    先生は九時に来ると言いました。

    The teacher said that they would come at nine.

    Quoted content also appears before polite 言いました.

    Vocabulary notes
    言いましたいいました
    said
    いました
    there was; there were (living things)
    いま
    now

  3. Preview

    この映画はおもしろいと思う。

    I think this movie is interesting.

    Thoughts are also quoted with と before 思う.

    Vocabulary notes
    おもしろい
    interesting
    この
    this
    もし
    if

Section 3 of 3

Read the verb after と

Do not decide the meaning of と too early. First check the next verb. With 言う, 思う, 書く, or 聞く, quotation is likely. With nouns, it may mean “and” or “with” instead.

  1. Target signal

    友だちと映画を見た。

    I watched a movie with a friend.

    Here と means “with,” not quotation.

    Vocabulary notes
    友だちともだち
    friend
    だ
    to be; plain copula
    と
    and; with; that

  2. Preview

    パンと水を買った。

    I bought bread and water.

    Here と joins two nouns, so it means “and.”

    Vocabulary notes
    パンぱん
    bread
    と
    and; with; that
    をお
    object marker

  3. Preview

    明日行くと聞いた。

    I heard that they would go tomorrow.

    With 聞いた after と, quotation becomes likely again.

    Vocabulary notes
    いた
    was there
    明日あした
    tomorrow
    行くいく
    to go

Reading in context

Read for meaning before checking the answer

Before you read

Read once for the situation. Then notice how Quoting with と changes the meaning before you check the translation.

「ありがとう」と言った。 田中さんは「行く」と言った。 ノートに「休み」と書いた。 母は明日休むと言った。 先生は九時に来ると言いました。 この映画はおもしろい

Show English translation

I said, “Thank you.” Tanaka said, “I’ll go.” I wrote “day off” in the notebook. My mother said that she would rest tomorrow. The teacher said that they would come at nine. I think this movie is interesting. I watched a movie with a friend. I bought bread and water. I heard that they would go tomorrow.

Contextual questions

Answer from the passage before you reveal each explanation.

  1. What is the first reading job for this passage?

    • Identify the situation and how Quoting with と changes it.
    • Translate every word before using context.
    • Ignore the ending because only vocabulary matters.
    • Choose an answer before reading the full passage.
    Check the answer

    Identify the situation and how Quoting with と changes it.

    The goal is to use the situation first, then confirm the role of Quoting with と in context.

Guided practice

Apply the lesson in a few different ways

Work through each prompt, then check the explanation before moving on.

Activity 1 of 4Choose the best context

In 「ありがとう」と言った, what does と do?

Activity 2 of 4Fill the blank

Complete the chunk that carries the lesson meaning (Quoting with と).

「＿＿＿」と言った。

Activity 3 of 4Put it in order

Put these related examples back into the order used in the lesson.

  1. 1田中さんは「行く」と言った。
  2. 2ノートに「休み」と書いた。
  3. 3「ありがとう」と言った。
Activity 4 of 4Infer from the passage

What should guide your interpretation of Quoting with と in the mini-reading?

Mastery check 1/4

In 「ありがとう」と言った, what does と do?