-다고 / -라고 / -냐고 / -자고 하다
Korean reported speech (indirect quotation) splits the original sentence type into four endings before -고 하다: statements, commands, questions, and suggestions. Each ending attaches to the verb in a fixed way. Once you internalize the four buckets, you can quote anything: 'He said…', 'She asked…', 'They told us to…', 'We suggested…'.
Statements: -ㄴ/는다고 / -다고 하다
For action verbs (가다, 먹다, etc.) in present tense, attach -ㄴ/는다고: vowel stem + -ㄴ다고 (가다 → 간다고), consonant stem + -는다고 (먹다 → 먹는다고). For adjectives and 이다 (be), attach -다고 directly: 예쁘다 → 예쁘다고, 학생이다 → 학생이라고. 그가 간다고 했어요. = 'He said he's going.' Past: stem + -았/었- + -다고. 갔다고 했어요 = 'He said he went.' Future: stem + -(으)ㄹ 거라고. 갈 거라고 했어요 = 'He said he'll go.'
Commands: -(으)라고 하다
Quote a command (an order, a request) with -(으)라고. Vowel stem + -라고, consonant stem + -으라고. 가다 → 가라고, 먹다 → 먹으라고. 선생님이 공부하라고 하셨어요. = 'The teacher told (us) to study.' 빨리 오라고 했어요. = 'They told me to come quickly.' Note: this -(으)라고 comes from the plain command form -(으)라, not the polite -(으)세요. Quoted commands always go through this plain form.
Questions: -냐고 / -느냐고 하다
Quote a question with -냐고 (or -느냐고 for action verbs in slightly older / more formal style; -냐고 is the modern colloquial default for everything). 가다 → 가냐고, 먹다 → 먹냐고, 예쁘다 → 예쁘냐고. Past: -았/었냐고. 민지가 어디 가냐고 물었어요. = 'Minji asked where (I'm) going.' 밥 먹었냐고 물어봤어요. = '(They) asked if I had eaten.' Often paired with 묻다 / 물어보다 (ask) instead of 하다.
Suggestions: -자고 하다
Quote a 'let's' suggestion with -자고, attached straight to the stem. 가다 → 가자고, 먹다 → 먹자고, 공부하다 → 공부하자고. 친구가 같이 가자고 했어요. = 'My friend suggested we go together.' 저녁 먹자고 했어요. = '(They) suggested having dinner.' This -자 is the plain 'let's' form (the formal -(으)ㅂ시다 doesn't appear in indirect speech).
Choosing the right bucket
Match the original sentence type before quoting. Original was a statement (declarative)? -다고. A command? -(으)라고. A question? -냐고. A 'let's'? -자고. The same English 'said' can become any of the four depending on what was actually said. He said 'I'm tired.' → 피곤하다고 했어요. He said 'Come here!' → 여기 오라고 했어요. He said 'Are you tired?' → 피곤하냐고 했어요. He said 'Let's go!' → 가자고 했어요.
Common shortcuts in speech
-다고 해요 / 했어요 often contracts to -대요 / -댔어요 in casual speech: 간대요 = '(They) say (he's) going'. -라고 해요 → -래요 (commands), -냐고 해요 → -냬요 (questions), -자고 해요 → -재요 (suggestions). 민지가 같이 가재요. = 'Minji's saying let's go together.' These shortenings are everywhere in conversation; recognize them, even if you produce the full forms.
