TOPIK II Grammar · Ch.1 Reported Speech & Quotation 02

TOPIK II Grammar · Ch.1 Reported Speech & Quotation 02

'-(으)라고 하다' · '-자고 하다' - Reporting Commands and Suggestions

The doctor told you to rest: 의사가 푹 쉬라고 했어요. A friend suggested traveling together: 친구가 같이 여행 가자고 했어요. Statements and questions were the first half of reported speech - commands and suggestions are the rest.

Key point A reported command or request takes -(으)라고 하다; a reported suggestion takes -자고 하다. A reported prohibition is -지 말라고 하다.

How to use it

English turns a reported command into an infinitive - "The doctor told me to rest" - and the command shape disappears. Korean gives it its own marker: take -세요 off "쉬세요" and attach -(으)라고. Batchim → -으라고 (읽으라고); no batchim → -라고 (가라고). After an ㄹ stem, -라고 attaches directly: 열다 → 열라고, 만들다 → 만들라고. Don't mix this up with noun-reporting -(이)라고: 가수라고 했어요 reports "I'm a singer", while 가라고 했어요 reports "Go."

A suggestion like "같이 갑시다/가요" is reported with -자고 - 점심을 같이 먹자고 했어요. A prohibition, "가지 마세요", becomes 가지 말라고 했어요.

Reporting "주세요" depends on direction. If the person who spoke receives the thing, it's 달라고 (물을 달라고 했어요); if it goes to somebody else, it's 주라고 (동생에게 주라고 했어요). English shows this direction only through pronouns - "she asked me to give her water" vs "to give him water" - Korean changes the verb itself.

At a glance

Original sentence	Reported	Rule
"창문을 여세요"	창문을 열라고 했어요	command → -(으)라고
"같이 걸읍시다"	같이 걷자고 했어요	suggestion → -자고
"뛰지 마세요"	뛰지 말라고 했어요	prohibition → -지 말라고
"물 좀 주세요"	물을 달라고 했어요	speaker receives → 달라고

The honorific comes off  Inside a report, -시- usually comes down too: "앉으세요" → 앉으라고 했어요. Keep it (앉으시라고) only when you're honoring the person who was told to sit.

Examples

선생님이 숙제를 금요일까지 내라고 하셨어요. The teacher told us to turn in the homework by Friday. - reported command; 하셨어요 honors the teacher, the one who spoke.

동료가 커피 마시러 가자고 해요. A coworker is suggesting we go out for coffee. - reported suggestion.

아이가 장난감을 사 달라고 했어요. The child asked someone to buy him the toy. - the child who asked is the one receiving, so 달라고.

Common mistakes

❌ 의사가 담배를 피우지 마세요라고 했어요. → ⭕ 의사가 담배를 피우지 말라고 했어요. You don't carry the whole sentence over like a quotation - strip -세요 and attach the report marker. A prohibition becomes -지 말라고.

⚠️ 친구가 저에게 노트를 빌려 주라고 했어요. → ⭕ 친구가 저에게 노트를 빌려 달라고 했어요. Not a grammar error - the first sentence is fine if the friend told you to lend the notebook to some third person. But if the friend wants it for himself, it must be 달라고. This direction split is the biggest trap in the pattern - check who receives before you choose.

Quick check

Turn each quoted sentence into a report.

1. "여기에서 기다리세요." → 직원이 여기에서 (      ) 했어요.
2. "주말에 같이 등산해요!" → 친구가 주말에 같이 (      ) 했어요.
3. "소금 좀 주세요." (the speaker receives it) → 아버지가 소금을 (      ) 하셨어요.

Show answers

1. 기다리라고 (command, no batchim → -라고)   2. 등산하자고 (suggestion → -자고)   3. 달라고 (the salt goes to the speaker - if you chose 주라고, check the direction again)

💡 Study tip - Report the instructions your day gives you. The doctor, the teacher, the boss - turn one instruction from each into a report tonight: 의사가 푹 쉬라고 했어요, 선생님이 떠들지 말라고 하셨어요.