esą
Reported Information with Esą
Esą means reportedly or they say: Ministras esą atsistatydins (The minister will reportedly resign).
How It Works
1. A word for second-hand news. Put esą near the start of the sentence or right before the part you are reporting. The rest of the sentence stays as it is:
- Ministras esą atsistatydins. (The minister will reportedly resign.)
- Parduotuvė esą bus uždaryta visą savaitę. (The shop will reportedly be closed all week.)
News reports use it a lot, because the writer is repeating what a source said.
2. After verbs of saying. After sakyti (to say), tvirtinti (to claim) and similar verbs, esą can start the reported part, a bit like kad. It tells the listener that these are the other person's words: Ji sakė, esą jai skauda galvą (She said her head hurt). In careful writing the verb that follows is often a participle, as in the reported mood: Kaimynas tvirtina, esą nieko negirdėjęs (The neighbour claims he heard nothing).
3. Where it comes from. Esą is an old form of the participle esąs (being), from būti. That is why it keeps the nasal letter ą.
4. Esą, neva and anot. Esą mainly says that the news is second-hand. It can sound a little distant, but it does not have to mean you doubt it. Neva often suggests doubt: Jis neva sirgo (He was supposedly ill, but I do not believe it). When you want to name the source, use anot: Anot ministro, ... (According to the minister, ...).
Examples (5)
- Ministras esą atsistatydins.
The minister will reportedly resign.
A typical news sentence. The verb atsistatydins is an ordinary future form.
- Parduotuvė esą bus uždaryta visą savaitę.
The shop will reportedly be closed all week.
- Jis esą sirgo, todėl neatėjo.
He was reportedly ill, so he did not come.
The speaker is repeating an excuse they heard from others.
- Ji sakė, esą jai skauda galvą.
She said her head hurt.
After sakė, esą works like kad and marks the words as hers, not yours.
- Kaimynas tvirtina, esą nieko negirdėjęs.
The neighbour claims he heard nothing.
Negirdėjęs is a participle. Esą often pairs with participles in reported speech.
Common Mistakes
Writing esą without the nasal letter.
Ministras esa atsistatydins.Ministras esą atsistatydins.Esą comes from the participle esąs, so it is always spelled with ą.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Esą marks information as reported and leaves the accompanying finite verb unchanged.
Related Patterns
- nevaDoubtful Claims with Neva
Neva also reports what others say, but it often suggests doubt about the claim.
Level 6 - Reported Mood With Participles
Esą comes from the participle esąs and often introduces the participle forms of the reported mood.
Level 5 - anot + genitiveAccording to with Anot
Anot names the source of the information, while esą just marks it as second-hand.
Level 5 - Impersonal Passive: buvo nuspręsta
Sakoma, kad ... (It is said that ...) is another way to pass on news without naming who said it.
Level 5 - būtaEvidential Būta
Būta can mark an inference or a discovery, rather than simply retelling what someone said.
Level 6
Words in This Pattern
Practice esą in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Lithuanian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
