after the plain form reports something you heard, read or were told: "I hear", "apparently", "they say". Tense and negation go on the word before そうだ, and a noun or a な-adjective keeps its
. The polite form is
.
。
I hear Tanaka is getting married next month.
。
They say the ramen at that shop is good.
。
I heard that film wasn't very good.
。
Apparently he's a doctor.
I hear, or looks like
A second そうだ, meaning "looks like", follows the ます-stem or an adjective's stem. The attachment form is all that separates them.
。
I hear it's going to rain.
。
It looks like it's going to rain.
。
I hear this cake is good.
Without だ, a noun or a な-adjective turns into the "looks like" form, which a noun cannot take at all.
- × 山田さんは元気そうです (for "I hear he's well") → 山田さんは元気だそうです
- × 彼は医者そうだ → 彼は医者だそうだ
そうだ does not change
Hearsay そうだ has no past, no negative and no そうな or そうに. To report a past or negative fact, change the word in front.
。
I heard he took yesterday off.
。
I hear it won't rain tomorrow.
Naming the source
The source goes at the front with or , or as .
、。
According to the forecast, it will rain tomorrow.
、。
According to my mother, my grandmother was a teacher long ago.
そうだ or らしい
also passes on what you heard, but it can be a guess from what you have seen, and it keeps more distance from the claim. そうだ only reports, so it is the plain choice for passing on something you were told.
。
Apparently Tanaka is getting married next month.
Lingaku