-는다고/ㄴ다고/다고
Say That, Claim That
-는다고/ㄴ다고/다고 is a grammar pattern used for indirect quotation, meaning you are reporting what someone else said, wrote, or thought. It's equivalent to saying "(someone) says/thinks that...".
How It Works
-는다고/ㄴ다고/다고 is the fundamental pattern for indirect quotation of declarative sentences (statements). It allows you to report information without directly quoting it word-for-word. This is the plain form, which is then typically followed by a reporting verb like 하다, 말하다, 듣다, 쓰다, etc.
Conjugation Rules:
The form changes based on the word type and tense.
1. Action Verbs:
- For stems ending in a vowel, attach -ㄴ다고. (e.g., 가다 → 간다고)
- For stems ending in a consonant, attach -는다고. (e.g., 먹다 → 먹는다고)
2. Descriptive Verbs (Adjectives):
Attach -다고 to the adjective stem.
- 예쁘다 (to be pretty) → 예쁘다고
- 작다 (to be small) → 작다고
3. Nouns (with 이다):
- If the noun ends in a consonant, attach -이라고. (학생 → 학생이라고)
- If the noun ends in a vowel, attach -라고. (의사 → 의사라고)
4. Past Tense:
Attach -았/었다고 to the stem.
- 갔다 → 갔다고
- 먹었다 → 먹었다고
- 예뻤다 → 예뻤다고
5. Future Tense (-겠-):
Attach -겠다고 to the stem.
- 가겠다 → 가겠다고
- 먹겠다 → 먹겠다고
This form is extremely common in both spoken and written Korean. For example, 친구가 온다고 했어요 means "My friend said that they are coming."
Examples (5)
- 친구가 내일 파티에 온다고 했어요.
My friend said that they are coming to the party tomorrow.
Word by Word: Friend tomorrow party-to come-say that-did.
오다 is an action verb with a stem ending in a vowel (오-), so -ㄴ다고 is attached, making it 온다고. This is then followed by 했어요.
- 제 동생은 그 영화가 재미있다고 생각해요.
My younger sibling thinks that the movie is interesting.
Word by Word: My younger sibling that movie interesting-say that-thinks.
재미있다 acts as a descriptive verb here, so -다고 is attached.
- 그가 회의에 참석하겠다고 했어요.
He said that he would attend the meeting.
Word by Word: He meeting-to attend-will-say that-did.
This shows the future tense quotation using -겠-. The verb stem 참석하- is combined with -겠다고 to report a future intention.
- 선생님께서 숙제가 너무 많다고 불평하지 말라고 하셨어요.
The teacher told us not to complain that there is too much homework.
Word by Word: Teacher homework-is too much-say that complain-do not-say that-did (honorific).
많다 is a descriptive verb, so it becomes 많다고. This example also includes the negative command quotation -지 말라고.
- 그 사람은 자기가 의사라고 했지만 거짓말이었어요.
That person said they were a doctor, but it was a lie.
Word by Word: That person oneself doctor-say that-did but lie-was.
For nouns ending in a vowel like 의사, -라고 is used.
Common Mistakes
Using -는다고 with descriptive verbs (adjectives).
Not Quite날씨가 좋은다고 했어요.Better날씨가 좋다고 했어요.Descriptive verbs like 좋다 (to be good) take -다고. The -ㄴ/는- infix is used for present tense action verbs, resulting in -ㄴ다고 (for vowel stems) or -는다고 (for consonant stems).
Using the wrong form for nouns.
Not Quite저는 학생다고 말했어요.Better저는 학생이라고 말했어요.When quoting a noun with 이다, you must use -(이)라고. Use -이라고 for nouns ending in a consonant (like 학생) and -라고 for nouns ending in a vowel.
Confusing with direct quotation.
Not Quite친구가 "나 바쁘다고" 했어요.Better친구가 "나 바빠"라고 했어요.-다고 is for indirect quotation. For direct quotes inside quotation marks, you use the original sentence ending followed by -라고. The indirect version would be: 친구가 바쁘다고 했어요.
Learn This First
To report statements 'say that', you need conjugation and modifier forms.
Related Patterns
- -냐고Whether, If (Indirect Question)
-는다고/다고 is for quoting statements, while -냐고 is used for quoting questions. (e.g., 어디 가냐고 물었어요 - 'He asked where I was going.')
- -자고Let's, Suggest Doing
-는다고/다고 is for quoting statements, while -자고 is used for quoting suggestions. (e.g., 영화 보자고 했어요 - 'She suggested we watch a movie.')
- -라고Tell/order to Do
-는다고/다고 is for quoting statements, while -라고 is used for quoting commands or orders (the full form is -(으)라고). (e.g., 빨리 오라고 했어요 - 'He told me to come quickly.') Note that -라고 is also used for quoting nouns with 이다.
- -다면서/라면서/다며I Heard That, They Say
Both are used for reported speech. -다면서 is often used to confirm something you heard from someone else, carrying a nuance of "I heard that..., is it true?" or showing slight surprise.
- -ㄴ/는다는 것The Fact That... (Quoted)
This pattern nominalizes the quoted clause, turning "the fact that (someone) said..." into a noun phrase. For example,
그가 온다는 것은 사실이에요(The fact that he is coming is true).
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.