3 · Reported speech
The short forms: -대요, -래요, -냬요, -재요
contracted reported speech
In conversation -다고 해요 shrinks to -대요, and the other quoting endings shrink the same way.
Spoken Korean drops the -고 and merges the quoting ending with 해요. -다고 해요 becomes -대요: 바쁘대요, 간대요, 먹는대요, 갔대요. A noun gives -(이)래요: 학생이래요, 의사래요. An order gives -(으)래요 (가래요, 먹으래요), a question -냬요 (가냬요), a suggestion -재요 (가재요). In the past, -다고 했어요 becomes -댔어요 and -라고 했어요 -랬어요.
The meaning is the same as the long forms, and they are everywhere in conversation: “they say”, “she says”, “he told me to”. They belong to speech and to the polite -요 style; formal writing keeps -다고 합니다. Among friends the 요 falls away: 바쁘대, 가래.
As a question, -대요? asks what somebody said or what is supposed to be the case: 내일 비가 온대요?, “is it supposed to rain tomorrow?”; 왜 안 온대요?, “why isn’t she coming, did she say?”.
In Seoul speech 대 and 데 sound the same, so the spelling has to carry the difference. -대요 means “they say”; -데요, close in meaning to -더라고요, reports what the speaker saw or experienced. 맛있대요 is “people say it is good”, 맛있데요 “I found it good”.
The form
| a statement | 바쁘다고 해요 → 바쁘대요 |
| a statement, action verb | 간다고 해요 → 간대요 |
| a noun with 이다 | 학생이라고 해요 → 학생이래요 |
| an order | 먹으라고 해요 → 먹으래요 |
| a question | 가냐고 해요 → 가냬요 |
| a suggestion | 가자고 해요 → 가재요 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
-다고 해요 contracts to -대요.
민수 씨가 오늘 좀 늦는대요.Minsu says he will be a bit late today.
With a noun, -(이)라고 해요 becomes -(이)래요.
저분이 새로 오신 선생님이래요.They say that is the new teacher.
An order becomes -(으)래요, a question -냬요, a suggestion -재요.
엄마가 빨리 들어오래요.Mum says to come home quickly.
As a question, -대요? asks what someone said.
내일 비가 온대요?Is it supposed to rain tomorrow?
-대요 (they say) is spelt with 대, never with 데.
그 식당 음식이 맛있대요.They say the food at that restaurant is good.
A closer look
How the short forms are made
Each short form drops -고 and lets the last vowel of the quote merge with 해: -다 + 해요 gives -대요, -라 + 해요 -래요, -냐 + 해요 -냬요, -자 + 해요 -재요. With 했어요 the same happens: -댔어요, -랬어요.
The most frequent short form of all is the question 뭐래요?, from 뭐라고 해요?: “what did they say?”, “what does it say?”. Among friends it is 뭐래?, which can also mean “what are you on about?”.
How to spot it
- -대요
- -래요
- -냬요
- -재요
- -댔어요
Example sentences
뉴스에서 이번 주말에 눈이 온대요.The news says it will snow this weekend.
지수 씨가 다음 달에 회사를 그만둔대요.Jisu says she is leaving her job next month.
선생님이 내일까지 숙제를 내래요.The teacher says to hand in the homework by tomorrow.
친구가 같이 점심 먹재요.My friend wants us to have lunch together.
동생이 저녁에 뭐 먹냬요.My younger sibling is asking what we are having for dinner.
그 영화가 정말 재미있대요.They say that film is really good.
8 more example sentences
친구가 내일은 바쁘대요.My friend says they are busy tomorrow.
날씨가 추우니까 따뜻하게 입으래요.They say to dress warmly because it is cold.
수진 씨 동생이 고등학생이래요.They say Sujin's younger sibling is at secondary school.
아빠가 주말에 같이 캠핑 가재요.Dad wants us all to go camping at the weekend.
선배가 저한테 언제 시간 되냬요.An older student is asking when I am free.
그 가수가 다음 달에 새 앨범을 낸대요.They say that singer is bringing out a new album next month.
민준 씨가 어제 늦게까지 일했대요.Minjun says he worked late yesterday.
이 근처에 맛있는 빵집이 있대요.They say there is a good bakery near here.
Worth knowing (2)
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What did they say? 뭐래요?
뭐라고 했어요? shrinks to 뭐랬어요? and 뭐라고 해요? to 뭐래요?, the everyday way to ask what somebody said or what a notice says.
의사 선생님이 뭐래요?What did the doctor say?
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Not to be confused: -데요
-데요 looks back on something the speaker saw or experienced: 그 식당 정말 맛있데요, “that restaurant was really good (I went)”. -대요 passes on what someone else said.
그 식당에 가 보니까 정말 맛있데요.I went to that restaurant, and it was really good.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
What you pass on from someone else is -대요, from -다고 해요. The two vowels sound alike in Seoul, which is why the mistake is common even among Koreans — but 연데요 is not a form at all.
Dae-yo with the vowel ae is "they say"; de-yo with e is "I found" — they sound alike, so watch the spelling.
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.