TOPIK II Grammar · Ch.1 Reported Speech & Quotation 03

TOPIK II Grammar · Ch.1 Reported Speech & Quotation 03

'-대요 · -래요 · -냬요 · -재요' - Hearsay in One Syllable, and '-다고요?' for Asking Back

간다고 해요 → 간대요. English needs a whole extra word for hearsay - "apparently", "I heard", "they say". Korean packs the entire report into one syllable.

Key point -다고 해요 → -대요, -(이)라고 해요 → -(이)래요, -냐고 해요 → -냬요, -자고 해요 → -재요. And -다고요? asks back about what you just heard.

How to use it

Each of the four report types has its own contraction - 온대요 (= 온다고 해요), 학생이래요, 어디 가냬요, 같이 먹재요. A reported command also contracts to -(으)래요: 가래요 = 가라고 해요. So 래요 does double duty - noun reports and command reports - and context tells you which one you're hearing.

-다고요? checks or reacts to what you just heard - "내일 시험이에요." "네? 내일이라고요?" English does this with stress or a tag - "Tomorrow?!", "Did you say tomorrow?" - Korean reuses the report marker with a rising tone.

간대요 reports someone else's words. You'll also hear endings in 데 (가던데요) - those belong to a different pattern, for things the speaker watched happen in person. A report of heard words is always spelled with 대.

At a glance

Full form	Contraction	Example
-다고 해요	-대요	주말에 비가 온대요
-(이)라고 해요	-(이)래요	저분이 새 선생님이래요 · 가래요 (= 가라고)
-냐고 해요	-냬요	언제 오냬요
-자고 해요	-재요	내일 만나재요

The full ask-back set  -라고요? (nouns · commands), -냐고요?, and -자고요? work the same way - and 뭐라고요? (= what did you say?) is the all-purpose ask-back for anything you didn't catch.

Examples

친구가 그 영화 정말 재미있대요. My friend says that movie is really fun. - -다고 해요 compressed into one syllable.

부장님이 회의를 세 시에 시작하재요. The department head says we should start the meeting at three. - -자고 해요 → -재요.

네? 시험이 취소됐다고요? What? The exam got canceled? - asking back in surprise.

Common mistakes

❌ 내일 눈이 온데요. → ⭕ 내일 눈이 온대요. What you heard someone say is written with 대. -데요 is a different ending, for what the speaker saw or experienced in person - one vowel decides where the information came from.

⚠️ 선생님이 교실로 온대요. (what you heard was "교실로 오세요") → ⭕ 선생님이 교실로 오래요. Grammatically fine - but it reports the statement "온다", so it means the teacher is coming. What you actually heard was a command, and commands contract to -(으)래요: 오래요. Check what kind of sentence you heard before you contract it.

Quick check

Replace each full form with its contraction.

1. 일기 예보에서 내일 춥다고 해요 → 내일 춥(      ).
2. 친구가 같이 점심 먹자고 해요 → 같이 점심 먹(      ).
3. 동생이 지금 몇 시냐고 해요 → 지금 몇 시(      ).

Show answers

1. 대요 (춥대요)   2. 재요 (먹재요)   3. 냬요 (시냬요) - each contraction keeps the first sound of its full form: 다·라·냐·자 → 대·래·냬·재

💡 Study tip - Hunt for these in drama subtitles. Every time a character passes along someone else's words, 대요·래요·재요 appears on screen. Watch one scene tonight and count them.