[Korean grammar] -다고요? Citing the Speech or Writing of Others

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가: 어, 밖에 비가 오네요. Hey, it’s raining outside.
나: 비가 온다고요? 스키 타러 가려고 했는데 못 가겠네요.
Did you say it’s raining? I was planning to go skiing, but I guess I can’t now.

가: 수업 끝나고 샤이닝에서 만나요.
Let’s meet at Shining after class.
나: 어디에서 만나자고요?
Where did you say to meet?
가: ‘샤이닝’이요. 학교 앞에 있는 커피숍이에요.
Shining. It’s a coffee shop in front of the school.

This expression is used when asking for clarification or reconfirmation of what another person has just said. The speaker repeats what the other person just finished saying as a way of asking for clarification about something that was not understood clearly or that was hard to believe. For this reason, the form of the expression depends on the form in which the first speaker originally made the statement. Then, because the speaker is asking the other person for clarification, the particle 요 is added to the end of the indirect citation form.

For adjectives in the present tense, both -냐고요? and -으냐고요? are acceptable, while for verbs in the present tense, both -냐고요? and -느냐고요? are acceptable.

가: 알리 씨, 하루카 씨가 왔어요. Allie, Haruka’s here.
나: 누가 왔다고요? Who (did you say) is here?
가: 하루카 씨요. Haruka.

가: 오늘까지 보고서를 완성하도록 하세요.
Please try to finish the report by today.
나: 오늘까지 완성하라고요? 어제는 수요일까지 하라고 하셨잖아요?
DkJ you say by today? Didn’t you say yesterday that it was due on Wednesday?

가: 외 수영 씨를 사랑해요? Why do you love Suyeong?
나: 왜 사랑하냐고요? 글쎄요, 설명하기 힘든데요.
Why do I love her (you ask)? Well, it’s hard to explain.

1. The citation form for propositive sentences should be used when responding to a suggestion ending in -(으)ㄹ까요?
가: 우리 오늘 인사동에 갈까요? Shall we go to Insadong today?
나: 인사동에 가자고요? Did you say we should go to Insadong?

2. This expression can also be used by a speaker to restate or emphasize what he or she has previously said.
가: 회사를 그만두었어요. I quit my job.
나: 뭐라고요? What did you say?
가: 회사를 그만두었다고요. I said I quit my job.

>> You can click on the title of each grammar below to learn about the other grammar which also cites the Speech or Writing of Others:
01. -다고요?
02. -다고 하던데
03. -다면서요?
04. -다니요?

>> Full of Intermediate grammar: Click here

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