-더라고
I Saw/heard/felt That
-더라고 is a sentence ending used when the speaker reports something they directly experienced or witnessed in the past. It's like saying, 'I saw/found that...'
How It Works
-더라고 is a retrospective sentence ending that allows the speaker to report something they personally and directly experienced (saw, heard, felt, or realized) in the past. It's not just stating a fact; it carries the nuance of a new discovery or realization based on that firsthand experience.
1. Core Function: Reporting Direct Experience
Use -더라고 to share information you learned through your own senses. The subject of the observation is usually a third person or a situation.
- 어제 보니까 지수 씨가 머리를 잘랐더라고. (Yesterday I saw that Jisu had cut her hair.)
- 그 식당 음식이 생각보다 맛있더라고. (I found that the food at that restaurant was more delicious than I expected.)
2. Conjugation Rules
- Verbs/Adjectives: Attach -더라고 directly to the stem.
- 가다 (to go) → 가더라고
- 예쁘다 (to be pretty) → 예쁘더라고
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹더라고 - Nouns: Attach -(이)더라고.
- 학생 (student) → 학생이더라고
- 의사 (doctor) → 의사더라고 - Past Tense: You can attach it to the past tense stem -았/었- to emphasize that the action you observed was already completed at that moment.
- 그가 이미 떠났더라고. (I saw that he had already left.)
- 영화가 벌써 시작했더라고. (I found that the movie had already started.)
3. Speaker/Subject Constraints
Generally, the subject of the sentence cannot be the speaker (나/저) when describing an intentional action. You are reporting an observation about someone or something else.
- Correct: 친구가 열심히 공부하더라고. (I saw my friend studying hard.)
- Incorrect: 제가 열심히 공부하더라고. (This is unnatural for an intentional act.)
However, you can use it to describe an observation about your own involuntary state or feeling.
- Correct: 아침에 일어나니까 목이 아프더라고. (When I woke up in the morning, I found my throat was sore.)
4. Comparison with -던데
Both report past observations. However, -던데 is often used to provide background for a following suggestion, question, or contrast. -더라고 is typically used to simply state the discovery as a complete thought.
- -더라고: 그 영화 재미있더라고. (I saw that movie; it was fun.) - A simple statement of fact.
- -던데: 그 영화 재미있던데, 같이 보러 갈래요? (I saw that movie and it was fun, so shall we go see it together?) - Provides background for a suggestion.
Examples (5)
- 어제 서울에 가 보니까 날씨가 정말 춥더라고.
When I went to Seoul yesterday, I found the weather was really cold.
Word by Word: Yesterday to Seoul went and saw weather really was cold.
The speaker is reporting their direct, personal experience of the weather in Seoul.
- 민준 씨는 김치를 잘 먹더라고.
I saw that Minjun eats kimchi well.
Word by Word: Minjun kimchi well eats.
The speaker is reporting an observation they made about another person, Minjun.
- 제가 도착했을 때 회의는 벌써 시작했더라고.
When I arrived, I saw the meeting had already started.
Word by Word: I arrived when meeting already had started.
Using -았/었더라고 indicates that the speaker observed a state that resulted from a completed action (the meeting starting).
- 그분은 의사가 아니라 선생님이더라고.
I found out that person is a teacher, not a doctor.
Word by Word: That person a doctor not a teacher is.
This shows a new realization about a fact based on some past experience or observation.
- 거울을 보니까 제가 정말 피곤해 보이더라고.
When I looked in the mirror, I saw that I looked really tired.
Word by Word: Mirror looked at I really tired looked.
This is an example of observing one's own state in a detached way, which is a permitted use of -더라고 with a first-person subject.
Common Mistakes
Using -더라고 for the speaker's own intentional actions.
Not Quite어제 제가 도서관에서 공부했더라고.Better어제 저는 도서관에서 공부했어요.-더라고 is used to report observations, usually about others or a situation. For your own intentional past actions, use the simple past tense -았/었어요. You can use -더라고 for your own state if you observed it in a detached way, like 'I realized I was tired' (피곤하더라고).
Using -더라고 for secondhand information.
Not Quite친구가 그 영화가 재미있더라고.Better친구가 그 영화가 재미있다고 했어요.-더라고 is only for things you directly witnessed or experienced. To report what someone else said, use indirect quotation forms like -다고 하다.
Learn This First
To express recollection 'I saw/heard/felt that', you need past observation markers.
Related Patterns
- -더-Past Observation Marker
-더라고 contains the retrospective marker -더-, which is the core component for recalling a past observation. Understanding -더- helps clarify the meaning of many related patterns.
- -던데I Found That, I Remember That
Both -더라고 and -던데 are used to report a past observation. However, -던데 is often used to provide background information before making a suggestion or asking a question, while -더라고 is typically a simple statement of discovery.
- -더라It Turns Out That, I Found Out That
-더라 is a more casual and sometimes self-directed version of -더라고. It shares the same core meaning of reporting a direct past experience but is often used in informal speech or when talking to oneself.
- -았/었/였-Past Tense
This is the standard past tense marker. While -더라고 refers to a past observation, you can combine it with -았/었- (e.g., 갔더라고) to emphasize that the action you observed was already completed at that moment in the past.
- -는다고/ㄴ다고/다고Say That, Claim That
This is used for indirect quotation ('they say that...'). It's important to contrast this with -더라고, which is for direct, firsthand experience ('I saw that...'). They are used for different sources of information.