Understanding Korean Indirect Speech
Indirect speech in Korean is used when you want to tell someone what another person said without quoting them directly. It's like playing a game of telephone, where you pass along the message but not the exact words.
Important Points
- Indirect speech changes the sentence structure.
- The verb endings change when using indirect speech.
- It's important to know the difference between past, present, and future tense in indirect speech.
Changing Verb Endings in Indirect Speech
In Korean, when you change a sentence to indirect speech, you need to change the verb endings. This depends on whether the sentence is a statement, question, command, or suggestion.
Important Points
- For statements, add '-다고' or '-라고' to the verb stem.
- For questions, add '-냐고' or '-으냐고'.
- For commands, use '-라고' or '-으라고'.
- For suggestions, use '-자고'.
Examples
- 엄마가 밥을 먹으라고 했어요.
- 친구가 어디 가냐고 물어봤어요.
- 선생님이 공부하자고 하셨어요.
Different Tenses in Indirect Speech
When you use indirect speech, you also need to consider the tense of the original sentence. The endings will change depending on whether the original sentence was in the past, present, or future.
Important Points
- For past tense, use '-았/었/였다고'.
- For present tense, use '-ㄴ/는다고'.
- For future tense, use '-겠다고'.
Examples
- 그는 어제 학교에 갔다고 했어요.
- 그녀는 지금 집에 있다고 말했어요.
- 그 아이가 내일 오겠다고 했어요.
To get better at using indirect speech in Korean, practice by changing direct sentences into indirect ones. Try to listen to Korean conversations and see if you can spot the indirect speech.
Examples
- 엄마가 '밥 먹어!'라고 했어요. -> 엄마가 밥을 먹으라고 했어요.
- 친구가 '어디 가?'라고 물었어요. -> 친구가 어디 가냐고 물어봤어요.