High School - Grade 10
Lesson 1: Reported Speech
간접 화법 (Indirect Quotation)
What is Reported Speech?
Reported speech (also called indirect quotation) is when you tell someone what another person said. Instead of quoting them directly (Direct: "It is cold."), you report their statement (Indirect: "She said *that it is cold*.").
In Korean, the verb ending changes based on the type of sentence you are reporting:
- Declarative: A statement. ("She said *that*...")
- Interrogative: A question. ("She asked *if*...")
- Imperative: A command. ("She told me *to*...")
- Propositive: A suggestion. ("She suggested *that we*...")
The main verb used is `하다` (to do/say) or `말하다` (to speak) for statements, and `묻다` (to ask) for questions.
1. Declarative (Statements): `-(ㄴ/는)다고 하다`
Used for reporting a simple statement.
Action Verb (Present): -ㄴ/는다고 하다 (`간다`, `먹는다` `간다고 하다`, `먹는다고 하다`)
Verb/Adjective (Past): -았/었다고 하다 (`갔다`, `먹었다`, `예뻤다` `갔다고 하다`, `먹었다고 하다`, `예뻤다고 하다`)
Adjective (Present): -다고 하다 (`예쁘다` `예쁘다고 하다`)
Noun (`이다`/`아니다`): -(이)라고 하다 (`학생이다` `학생이라고 하다`)
Direct: "저는 학생이에요." (I am a student.)
민수 씨가 자기는 학생이라고 했어요.
"Minsu said that he is a student."
2. Interrogative (Questions): `-(느/으)냐고 하다`
Used for reporting a question. The verb often becomes `물어보다` (to ask).
Action Verb: -느냐고 하다/묻다 (`가다` `가느냐고 묻다`)
Adjective: -(으)냐고 하다/묻다 (`예쁘다` `예쁘냐고 묻다`)
Noun (`이다`/`아니다`): -(이)냐고 하다/묻다 (`학생이다` `학생이냐고 묻다`)
Direct: "어디에 가요?" (Where are you going?)
친구가 저에게 어디에 가느냐고 물었어요.
"My friend asked me where I was going."
3. Imperative (Commands): `-(으)라고 하다`
Used for reporting a command.
Positive Command: -(으)라고 하다 (`가다` `가라고 하다`, `먹다` `먹으라고 하다`)
Negative Command: -지 말라고 하다 (`가지 마` `가지 말라고 하다`)
Direct: "물을 주세요." (Please give me water.)
그 사람이 물을 달라고 했어요.
"That person told me to give them water." (Note: `주다` becomes `달다` when reporting).
4. Propositive (Suggestions): `-자고 하다`
Used for reporting a "Let's..." suggestion.
Positive Suggestion: -자고 하다 (`가다` `가자고 하다`)
Negative Suggestion: -지 말자고 하다 (`가지 말자` `가지 말자고 하다`)
Direct: "같이 저녁 먹자!" (Let's eat dinner together!)
친구가 같이 저녁 먹자고 했어요.
"My friend suggested that we eat dinner together."
Advanced Tip: Conversational Shortening
In daily conversation, `~고 하다` is often shortened. This is very common to hear!
- `...다고 해요` `...대요` (e.g., `예쁘대요` - They say she's pretty)
- `...냐고 해요` `...냬요` (e.g., `어디 가냬요` - They're asking where I'm going)
- `...라고 해요` `...래요` (e.g., `숙제하래요` - They told me to do homework)
- `...자고 해요` `...재요` (e.g., `가재요` - They suggested we go)
Coming Up Next...
This was a very complex lesson! Congratulations on getting through it.
In the next lesson, we'll learn about *even more* connectors to make your reasoning more advanced. You know "because" (`-(으)니까`), but what about "because *of*..." or "since..."?