Korean Indirect Speech: -다고, -냐고, -자고, -(으)라고 Explained
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · How we write & review
After this page, you can report what someone said, asked, suggested, or commanded using -다고 / -냐고 / -자고 / -(으)라고.
10-second answer
The short answer
To report speech, Korean drops the politeness and attaches one of four endings before 하다 (hada): -다고 (-dago) for statements ("said that…"), -냐고 (-nyago) for questions ("asked whether…"), -자고 (-jago) for suggestions ("suggested that we…"), and -(으)라고 (-(eu)rago) for commands and requests ("told me to…"). 친구가 바쁘다고 했어요 (chinguga bappeudago haesseoyo) = "My friend said she was busy." The quoted part always goes back to plain form — no 요 (yo), no 습니다 (seumnida) — even if the original speaker was being polite.
Quick check — did that land?
1. How do you report the question "몇 시예요?" (What time is it?)
바쁘다고, 가냐고, 가자고, 오라고! 말·질문·제안·명령을 전하는 표현이에요.
The Four Endings
| Original speech | Ending | Reported form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement: 바빠요. | -다고 (verb) / -(이)라고 (noun) | 바쁘다고 했어요 | said (that) they're busy |
| Question: 어디 가요? | -냐고 | 어디 가냐고 물었어요 | asked where I'm going |
| Suggestion: 같이 가요! | -자고 | 같이 가자고 했어요 | suggested going together |
| Command / request: 빨리 오세요. | -(으)라고 | 빨리 오라고 했어요 | told me to come quickly |
Verbs vs. adjectives vs. nouns with -다고
Action verbs in the present take -ㄴ/는다고 (가다 → 간다고, 먹다 → 먹는다고). Adjectives keep plain -다고 (바쁘다 → 바쁘다고). Nouns take -(이)라고 (학생 → 학생이라고). Past tense is the same for all: -았/었다고 (갔다고, 바빴다고, 학생이었다고).
See also: Korean Sentence Structure
Quick Examples
동생이 내일 온다고 했어요.
dongsaeng-i naeil ondago haesseoyo.
My younger sibling said they're coming tomorrow.
오다 (action verb, present) → 온다고. The original was probably "내일 가요" — direction and politeness both adjust to the reporter's viewpoint.
선생님이 숙제 했냐고 물어보셨어요.
seonsaengnim-i sukje haennyago mureobosyeosseoyo.
The teacher asked whether I'd done the homework.
Past-tense question: 했어? → 했냐고. 물어보다 (to ask) is the natural verb after -냐고, though 하다 works too.
친구들이 주말에 등산 가자고 해요.
chingudeul-i jumare deungsan gajago haeyo.
My friends are suggesting we go hiking this weekend.
-자고 only works with action verbs — you can suggest doing something, not being something.
엄마가 일찍 자라고 하셨어요.
eommaga iljjik jarago hasyeosseoyo.
Mom told me to go to bed early.
자다 → 자라고. After a consonant use -으라고: 먹다 → 먹으라고, 읽다 → 읽으라고.
그 사람이 의사라고 들었어요.
geu saram-i uisarago deureosseoyo.
I heard that person is a doctor.
Noun + -(이)라고. 듣다 (to hear) is another common reporting verb — "I heard that…".
The Shortcut Everyone Uses in Speech
In conversation, -다고 하다 contracts: 바쁘다고 해요 → 바쁘대요, 간다고 해요 → 간대요, 가냐고 해요 → 가냬요, 가자고 해요 → 가재요, 가라고 해요 → 가래요. You'll hear these contracted forms constantly in K-dramas ("온대" = "they say he's coming"). Learn the full forms first so you can recognize what the contractions came from, then start using the short ones yourself — see 해요체 endings for how politeness attaches on top.
-다고 also shows up without any reporting verb at the end of a sentence, to insist or repeat yourself: 바쁘다고! = "I said I'm busy!" — a slightly impatient tone, so use it with friends, not your boss.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Keeping 요 inside the quote
바빠요라고 했어요 ✗ → 바쁘다고 했어요 ✓. The quoted clause is always plain form; politeness goes on the final verb only.
Mistake #2 — Using -다고 for a question
어디 가다고 물었어요 ✗ → 어디 가냐고 물었어요 ✓. Each sentence type has its own ending; -다고 is for statements only.
Mistake #3 — Forgetting -ㄴ/는 on present-tense action verbs
가다고 ✗ → 간다고 ✓, 먹다고 ✗ → 먹는다고 ✓. Only adjectives keep bare -다고 in the present tense.
Mini Quiz
2 short questions — about 1 minute
2. Which is the correct reported form of "같이 먹어요!" (Let's eat together!)?
3. What does 온대요 mean?
Part of Korean Grammar Basics — Particles, Tense, and Negation
Related Knowledge
Learn Next
Korean Causative and Passive Verbs
Both are 'advanced verb machinery' — once you can report what people said, learn how Korean says who made whom do what.
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