Korean Indirect Quotation: -다고 하다 and -(느)냐고 하다
Korean indirect quotation relays statements with -다고 하다 (내일 온다고 했어요) and questions with -(느)냐고 하다 (어디 가냐고 물었어요), reshaping the verb instead of quoting word for word.
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
Korean indirect quotation relays what someone said by reshaping the verb instead of quoting word for word: statements take -다고 하다 (내일 온다고 했어요 — he said he’d come tomorrow; 일이 많다고 했어요 — he said there’s a lot of work; 학생이라고 했어요 — he said he’s a student), and questions take -(느)냐고 하다 (어디 가냐고 물었어요 — he asked where I was going; 시간이 있냐고 했어요 — he asked if I had time). This is the milestone lesson of the chapter — the conjugation engine behind every retold conversation in Korean.
Last lesson you froze people’s exact words inside 큰따옴표 with 라고. Real conversation almost never works that way — you retell, adjusting the grammar to your own viewpoint. That’s indirect quotation, and it splits cleanly into two families: -다고 for statements and -냐고 for questions. Learn the conjugation tables below and you can relay anything.
Ten words for relaying speech
These are the words that frame any report of what was said or asked.
Relaying a statement — -다고 하다
To report what someone told you, reshape the verb into the -다고 family. The form depends on whether you’re relaying a verb, adjective, noun, or past tense. Read the table top to bottom:
Verb (present): 가다 → 간다고 · 먹다 → 먹는다고 (vowel stem +ㄴ다고, consonant +는다고) Adjective: 좋다 → 좋다고 · 바쁘다 → 바쁘다고 (plain -다고) Noun: 학생 → 학생이라고 · 의사 → 의사라고 ((이)라고) Past (all): 가다 → 갔다고 · 먹다 → 먹었다고 (-았/었다고)
Put together: 친구가 내일 온다고 했어요 (he said he’d come tomorrow); 일이 많다고 했어요 (he said there’s a lot of work); 자기가 학생이라고 했어요 (he said he’s a student); 어제 갔다고 해요 (he says he went yesterday). For intention, use -겠다고 / -(으)ㄹ 거라고: 꼭 가겠다고 했어요.
Relaying a question — -(느)냐고 하다
To report what someone asked, use the -(느)냐고 family. Modern spoken Korean simplifies almost everything to -냐고; the verb after is usually 묻다 or 물어보다.
Verb: 가다 → 가냐고 (formally 가느냐고) · 먹다 → 먹냐고 Adjective: 좋다 → 좋냐고 · 있다 → 있냐고 (formally -으냐고, rare now) Noun: 학생 → 학생이냐고 · 의사 → 의사냐고 ((이)냐고) Past (all): 가다 → 갔냐고 · 먹다 → 먹었냐고 (-았/었냐고)
Put together: 어디 가냐고 물었어요 (he asked where I was going); 시간이 있냐고 했어요 (he asked if I had time); 밥 먹었냐고 물어봤어요 (he asked if I’d eaten). In everyday speech the older -느냐고/-으냐고 forms collapse into a single tidy -냐고.
Statement vs question — side by side
The same root, two endings. This table is the heart of the lesson:
Verb 가다: statement 간다고 / question 가냐고 Adjective 좋다: statement 좋다고 / question 좋냐고 Noun 학생: statement 학생이라고 / question 학생이냐고 Past 가다: statement 갔다고 / question 갔냐고
And remember the bridge from last lesson: direct 「간다」라고 (exact words in quotes) becomes indirect 간다고 (reshaped, no quotes). Drop the 큰따옴표, fold the verb into -다고 or -냐고, and you’ve gone from playback to retelling.
Relaying a whole conversation
Watch person A relay to B both what C said and what C asked — all indirect:
Trace the engine: 간다고 / 어렵다고 / 괜찮다고 relay statements, while 공부하냐고 / 있냐고 relay questions. No quotation marks anywhere — every line is reshaped into A’s own grammar. That’s indirect quotation doing the everyday work of retelling, and it’s the backbone of the rest of this chapter, where we’ll add commands and suggestions.
FAQ
How do I form an indirect STATEMENT (-다고 하다)? It depends on the word type. Present-tense VERBS add -ㄴ다고 after a vowel stem (가다 → 간다고) and -는다고 after a consonant stem (먹다 → 먹는다고). ADJECTIVES stay plain -다고 (좋다 → 좋다고, 바쁘다 → 바쁘다고). NOUNS take -(이)라고 (학생이라고, 의사라고). For the PAST, every type uses -았/었다고 (갔다고, 먹었다고, 좋았다고). For the FUTURE/intention, use -겠다고 or -(으)ㄹ 거라고 (가겠다고, 갈 거라고). The tense and type live in that middle slot; 하다 (or 말하다) closes the sentence.
How is an indirect QUESTION (-냐고) different from a statement (-다고)? A statement reports what someone TOLD you; a question reports what someone ASKED you. Questions use the -(느)냐고 family: verbs are -느냐고, shortened to -냐고 in everyday speech (가냐고), and adjectives are -(으)냐고, also -냐고 in modern usage (좋냐고, 있냐고). Past questions are -았/었냐고 (갔냐고, 먹었냐고). Compare: 간다고 했어요 = he said he’s going (statement) vs 가냐고 물었어요 = he asked if I’m going (question). The verb after is usually 묻다/물어보다 for questions, 하다/말하다 for statements.
What’s the difference between direct quotation and indirect quotation? Direct quotation (last lesson) freezes the exact words in 큰따옴표 and adds 라고: 친구가 「내일 간다」라고 했어요. Indirect quotation drops the quotation marks and reshapes the verb into the -다고/-냐고 form, adjusting tense and viewpoint to your own: 친구가 내일 간다고 했어요 = my friend said he’d go tomorrow. Indirect is far more common in real conversation because you’re usually retelling, not playing back a recording. Notice 「간다」라고 (direct) becomes 간다고 (indirect) — the quotation marks vanish and 라 → nothing.
Next: quoting commands & requests — -(으)라고/-자고 하다. Previous: direct quotation — 「…」라고 하다. Full path: curriculum hub.