Grammar
-다고 말하다
to say that, report a statement
Form
Verb stem + -ㄴ/는다고 말하다; adjective stem + -다고 말하다 — “to say that…”.
Function
Introduces the content of reported speech. Nouns use -(이)라고; negation and tense belong in the reported clause.
Why this form?
-다고 생각하다 — “to think that”: reports an internal opinion rather than spoken words.
-는지 말하다 — “to say whether / what”: embeds an indirect question rather than a declarative statement.
How to build it
Present verb: 간다고, 먹는다고; adjective: 좋다고; noun: 학생이라고; past: 갔다고.
Forms not to confuse
- -다고 생각하다
그가 맞다고 생각해요. — I think he’s right.
- -는지 말하다
어디에 있는지 말해 주세요. — Tell me where it is.
Examples
뭔가 알고 있다고 말해 줄 수 있으면 좋겠는데, 저희도 아무것도 몰라요. — I wish I could tell you that we know something, but we don’t know anything either.
친구가 내일 온다고 말했어요. — My friend said he would come tomorrow.