Core Pattern Rule: Reporting with -대 / -래
This pattern is used to report something you've heard from another person or source. It's the Korean equivalent of saying "I heard..." or "They say...". It's a contraction of a longer quoting form, making it very common in casual conversation.
Formation
The ending changes based on the type of word and tense.
Action Verbs (Present): Stem + -ㄴ/는대
온다 → 온대 (They say he's coming)
공부한다 → 공부한대 (He says he's studying)
Descriptive Verbs (Adjectives): Stem + -대
맛있다 → 맛있대 (They say it's delicious)
힘들다 → 힘들대 (They say it's hard)
Nouns: Noun + -(이)래
공짜 (vowel ending) → 공짜래 (They say it's free)
학생 (consonant ending) → 학생이래 (I heard he's a student)
Past Tense: Verb/Adjective Stem + -았/었대
헤어졌다 → 헤어졌대 (I heard they broke up)
매진됐다 → 매진됐대 (They say it's sold out)
내일 쉰대. / 이거 공짜래. / 걔 헤어졌대. / 이 집 케이크 맛있대.
Synonyms & Differences: The Full Forms
Understanding that -대 and -래 are contractions is key to mastering them. They come from the full indirect quotation forms ending in 고 해.
-대 = -다고 해
For verbs and adjectives, -대 is a shortened version of -다고 해.
온대 = 온다고 해
맛있대 = 맛있다고 해
헤어졌대 = 헤어졌다고 해
-래 = -(이)라고 해
For nouns, -래 is a shortened version of -(이)라고 해.
공짜래 = 공짜라고 해
사실이래 = 사실이라고 해
In everyday speech, the contracted forms (-대/-래) are far more common because they're quicker and sound more natural. The full forms (-다고 해/-(이)라고 해) can sound a bit more formal, deliberate, or be used for emphasis.
철수는 오늘 공부한대. (공부한다고 해요.) / 이거 공짜래요. (공짜라고 해요.) / 엄청 힘들대. (엄청 힘들다고 해요.)