Saying What Someone Said or Thought
Move beyond exact quotation and report speech or thoughts naturally with と言う and と思う.
Reporting speech with と言う
Place と after the quoted clause, then read the verb after it. With 言う and related verbs, と usually marks what someone said, announced, or reported.
田中さんは「今日は休む」と言った。
Tanaka said, “I’m taking today off.”
The quoted line comes before と, and 言った shows reported speech.
父は七時に帰ると言っています。
My father is saying that he will come home at seven.
The speaker can also report what someone is saying now with 言っています.
先生は来週試験があると言いました。
The teacher said that there will be a test next week.
Quotation does not need quote marks as long as と and 言う make the structure clear.
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