そう（伝聞）

I Heard That

Level 2Sounds Like sou

The hearsay pattern 〜そうだ is used to relay information from a specific source (news, a person, or a report) without adding your own opinion. It translates to 'I heard that...' or 'According to...'

How It Works

This pattern is a fundamental way to report information in Japanese. It is distinct from appearance 〜そう in both its grammar and its meaning.

1. Meaning and Nuance
When you use 〜そうだ, you are telling someone what you heard or read elsewhere. It implies you have a specific source in mind, often introduced by the phrase 〜によると (according to). While it is considered more reliable than 〜らしい (which can be based on vague rumors), the speaker is not taking personal responsibility for the truth of the statement.

2. Conjugation Rules
This pattern always attaches to the plain form (dictionary form, past form, or negative form):

  • Verbs: Plain form + そうだ (e.g., 降る（ふる）そうだ - I heard it will rain)
  • い-Adjectives: Keep the final 〜い + そうだ (e.g., おいしいそうだ - I heard it's delicious)
  • な-Adjectives: Keep the 〜だ + そうだ (e.g., 元気（げんき）だそうだ - I heard they are well)
  • Nouns: Noun + だ + そうだ (e.g., 雨（あめ）だそうだ - I heard it's rain)

3. Important Notes

  • The hearsay 〜そうだ itself does not conjugate. To say 'I heard it was cold,' you change the adjective before it: 寒（さむ）かったそうです. You cannot say 寒そうでした for hearsay.
  • Unlike the appearance version, there are no exceptions for いい or ない. They remain いいそうだ and ないそうだ.

Examples (4)

  1. 天気予報によると、明日は雨が降るそうです。

    According to the weather forecast, I heard it will rain tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Weather forecast according to, tomorrow rain fall hearsay is.

    The phrase によると is frequently used with 〜そうだ to specify the source of information.

  2. 佐藤さんは、もうすぐ結婚するそうですよ。

    I heard that Mr. Sato is getting married soon.

    Word by Word: Sato-san (topic), soon marriage do hearsay is (assertive).

    Here, the speaker is relaying news about a person. The plain form 結婚（けっこん）する is used before そう.

  3. あの店の料理は、あまりおいしくないそうです。

    I heard the food at that restaurant isn't very good.

    Word by Word: That shop's cooking (topic), not very delicious-not hearsay is.

    This shows the negative plain form (おいしくない) being used to report a negative review.

  4. 昨日の試験は、とても難しかったそうです。

    I heard that yesterday's exam was very difficult.

    Word by Word: Yesterday's exam (topic), very was-difficult hearsay is.

    To report something in the past, the past tense (難（むずか）しかった) must come before the hearsay marker.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping the 'だ' for nouns or na-adjectives.

    明日は休みそうです。
    明日は休みだそうです。

    For hearsay, nouns and な-adjectives must keep the copula だ. Without it, the sentence is grammatically incomplete or might be confused with 'looking like' something.

  • Dropping the 'い' from i-adjectives.

    この本は面白そうです。
    この本は面白いそうです。

    Dropping the 'い' changes the meaning to 'looks like' (appearance). To say 'I heard it is interesting,' you must keep the 'い' (面白いそうだ).

  • Conjugating the 'そうだ' ending for past tense.

    彼は忙しいそうでした。
    彼は忙しかったそうです。

    The hearsay marker itself is 'frozen.' All tense information (past, negative, etc.) must be expressed in the word that comes before it.

How It Connects

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そう（伝聞）Level 2I Heard That

Learn This First

To use 'そう' for hearsay, you must be able to conjugate verbs and adjectives into their plain forms (dictionary, past, and negative). Unlike the 'looks like' version of 'そう', the hearsay version attaches to the complete, plain sentence structure, including the copula 'だ' for nouns and な-adjectives.

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