Q. How do you express "hearsay"?
A. "~ sou da （～そうだ）" is used to express hearsay (I hear that ~; I heard that ~; People say that ~). It is attached to the plain form of the verb or adjective. It is used when the speaker makes a general report regarding what he/she heard. When using this expression, you are not giving any personal intention. To make it polite, "~ sou desu" is used instead of "~ sou da".
| Kono eiga wa totemo ii sou da. この映画はとてもいいそうだ。 |
I heard that this movie is very good. |
| Kino yuki ga futta sou
desu. 昨日雪が降ったそうです。 |
I heard it snowed yesterday. |
| Kare wa shigoto o yameta sou desu. 彼は仕事をやめたそうです｡ |
I heard that he quit his job. |
| Kanojo wa bengoshi da sou da. 彼女は弁護士だそうだ｡ |
I heard that she is a lawyer. |
Information sources are expressed by "~ ni yoru to (according to ~)".
| Tenki-yohou ni yoru to ashita ame ga furu sou desu. 天気予報によると 明日雨が降るそうです｡ |
According to the weather forecast, it will rain tomorrow. |
