LEARN + JAPANESE / Note 119 JLPT N4
I Heard That (そうだ)
This そうだ attaches straight to the plain form, no changes to the verb or adjective at all, and reports secondhand information, “I heard that.” It always marks the source as something you learned from elsewhere, never your own direct experience.
I heard a guest speaker is coming next week.
I heard next week's test is easy.
In Real Life
Attaching straight to the plain form is what separates this そうだ from the other one covering appearance, that one instead drops adjective endings and reshapes the word. Here, nothing changes, 簡単だ keeps its だ, 来る stays 来る.
According to the 7:00 news, there was a big earthquake in Tokyo.
According to the weather forecast, it'll be cold this weekend.
In Real Life
によると, “according to,” names the source explicitly and pairs constantly with this そうだ, ニュースによると, 天気予報によると, spelling out exactly where the secondhand information came from.
Vocabulary
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| guest speaker | |
| composition, essay | |
| earthquake | |
| tsunami | |
| tourist | |
| weather forecast | |
| clear weather | |
| to be popular | |
| according to | |
| information | |
| rumor | |
| to confirm | |
| article | |
| to announce | |
| to convey, pass along | |
| from what I've heard | |
| reliable information | |
| source | |
| news report | |
| to happen to hear |