〜そうだ (伝聞) I heard that / They say that
Core meaning - I heard that / They say that
Form - N/Na + だそうだ; N/Na + だそうです; V/Adj(plain) + そうだ; V/Adj(plain) + そうです
Usage - Focus on the highlighted segment in each example; surrounding words can change while the pattern function stays the same.
Use this pattern for its grammatical function, not as a literal word-by-word translation.
See examples below for varied real-world usage.
伝聞 vs 様態 - completely different!
- 伝聞: 美味しいそうだ (I heard it is delicious)
- 様態: 美味しそうだ (It looks delicious)
Plain form + そうだ for hearsay
- ✅ 行くそうだ、高いそうだ、静かだそうだ
- ❌ 行きそうだ (this is 様態)
Source often marked with によると
- ニュースによると、雨だそうだ
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