The professor said to send it by tomorrow (Indirect Speech)

In Korean, when you report what someone else said, you need to change the ending of the original sentence. This is called indirect speech (간접 화법). The ending you use depends on whether the original sentence was a statement, question, command, or suggestion.

Meaning & Usage

Meaning: Indirect speech is used to quote or report someone's words without using their exact phrasing. It's like saying "He said that..." or "She asked if..." in English.

When to use: Use it any time you're relaying a message, telling a story about a past conversation, or sharing information you heard from someone else. It's extremely common in daily conversation.

Conjugation Rules

Declarative (Statement): ~다고 하다

Verb stem + -ㄴ/는다고 하다

Adjective stem + -다고 하다

Noun + -(이)라고 하다

Interrogative (Question): ~냐고 하다

Verb/Adjective stem + -(으)냐고 하다

Noun + -(이)냐고 하다

Imperative (Command): -(으)라고 하다

Verb stem + -(으)라고 하다

Propositive (Suggestion): ~자고 하다

Verb stem + -자고 하다

Statement: ~다고 하다 / Question: ~냐고 하다 / Command: ~(으)라고 하다 / Suggestion: ~자고 하다

In everyday spoken Korean, the indirect speech forms are almost always shortened. Using these contractions will make you sound much more natural.

Common Contractions

Context: Native speakers rarely say the full ~고 하다 form in casual conversation. Learning the contracted forms is essential for listening comprehension and sounding fluent.

Examples:

~다고 해(요) → ~대(요)

~냐고 해(요) → ~냬(요)

~(으)라고 해(요) → ~(으)래(요)

~자고 해(요) → ~재(요)

Example Transformation

Context: Let's see how a full sentence changes. The meaning is identical, but the feeling is much more natural and less "textbook-like."