TOPIK II Grammar · Ch.1 Reported Speech & Quotation 01

TOPIK II Grammar · Ch.1 Reported Speech & Quotation 01

'-다고 하다' · '-(느)냐고 하다' - Passing Along What Someone Said

Your friend told you: "내일 바빠요." To pass that along, English says "She said she was busy tomorrow" - and quietly bends the tense backward. Korean bends something else: 친구가 내일 바쁘다고 했어요. Bringing other people's words and questions into your own sentences is where intermediate grammar begins.

Key point Report a heard statement with -다고 하다 and a heard question with -(느)냐고 하다. Only the verb present tense changes shape - -ㄴ/는다고; almost everything else keeps plain -다고, and nouns take -(이)라고.

How to use it

English reported speech shifts the tense back and swaps the pronouns, but the verb itself carries no mark saying "this was a statement". Korean works the other way: the tense stays exactly as spoken, and the ending becomes the report marker. Two steps: take the politeness ending -아/어요 off, then attach the marker - "매일 운동해요" → 매일 운동한다고 했어요.

Only the verb present tense has a special shape - no batchim → -ㄴ다고 (간다고), batchim → -는다고 (먹는다고). Adjectives (바쁘다고), the past (갔다고), and 있다/없다 (있다고) keep plain -다고. Nouns take -(이)라고: 학생이라고.

A heard question is reported with -냐고 하다/묻다 - "어디 가요?" → 어디 가냐고 물었어요. One marker covers every part of speech. Compare English: "Where are you going?" becomes "She asked where I was going" - the question's word order dissolves and the tense shifts. Korean leaves the sentence alone and just swaps the ending. The (느) in the title points to a fuller spelling you'll meet in formal writing - 가느냐고, 작으냐고 - but plain -냐고 covers everyday speech.

At a glance

Original sentence	Reported	Rule
"지금 가요"	지금 간다고 했어요	verb present → -ㄴ/는다고
"어제 갔어요" · "바빠요"	갔다고 · 바쁘다고 했어요	past · adjective → -다고
"학생이에요"	학생이라고 했어요	noun → -(이)라고
"어디 가요?"	어디 가냐고 물었어요	question → -냐고

Beyond 하다  Swapping in 말하다, 묻다, or 그러다 makes the report livelier - 간다고 그랬어요, 가냐고 물었어요.

Examples

일기 예보에서 주말에 춥다고 해요. The forecast says it'll be cold this weekend. - reporting heard information; the adjective keeps plain -다고.

동생이 오늘 저녁을 안 먹는다고 했어요. My younger brother said he's not eating dinner tonight. - verb present with batchim: 먹 + -는다고.

점원이 저에게 뭘 찾냐고 물었어요. The clerk asked me what I was looking for. - a reported question. English shifted to "was looking"; the Korean verb stayed in the present.

Common mistakes

❌ 친구가 요즘 바쁘는다고 했어요. → ⭕ 친구가 요즘 바쁘다고 했어요. -ㄴ/는다고 is for the verb present tense only. Adjectives keep dictionary-form -다고 - the verb/adjective split you learned with the noun-modifying forms -는/-(으)ㄴ is back at work here.

❌ 그분이 의사다고 들었어요. → ⭕ 그분이 의사라고 들었어요. Nouns report with -(이)라고: batchim → 이라고 (선생님이라고), no batchim → 라고 (가수라고). It's the batchim rule from 이에요/예요, one level up.

Quick check

Turn each quoted sentence into a report.

1. "내일 시간이 없어요." → 친구가 내일 시간이 (      ) 했어요.
2. "매일 아침 빵을 먹어요." → 언니가 매일 아침 빵을 (      ) 했어요.
3. "지금 어디에 있어요?" → 어머니가 지금 어디에 (      ) 물었어요.

Show answers

1. 없다고 (있다/없다 keep plain -다고)   2. 먹는다고 (verb present, batchim → -는다고)   3. 있냐고 (a question → -냐고; think in two steps - drop -어요, attach the marker)

💡 Study tip - Report three things you heard today. Out loud, tonight: 뉴스에서 비가 온다고 해요, 친구가 언제 오냐고 물었어요. Reported speech fills TOPIK II listening answer choices from the first page on.