-다고 들었어요 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -다고 들었어요 to verbs, adjectives, 있다/없다, past forms and nouns.
• Say where you heard the news with 한테, 에게서 or 에서.
• Choose between -다고 들었어요, -대요, -(느)ㄴ다면서요 and -다던데.
• Use the formal -다고 들었습니다 and the news phrase -에 따르면.
• Avoid the mistakes 듣었어요, 가는다고 and 가요고.

Before you start: you should know the plain forms of verbs (plain present and plain past). The page on -대요/-냬요/-재요/-래요 gives the spoken short forms of the same idea. Audio plays only when you press a button.

What Does -다고 들었어요 Grammar Mean?

-다고 들었어요 grammar means "I heard that ..." or "I was told that ..." The first part is the news, written in the plain style. The second part, 들었어요, is the past of the verb 듣다 ("hear, listen"), and it tells the listener that you did not see it yourself. The pattern passes on the information without saying that it is true.

Two examples show the idea. The first passes on a review, and the second passes on a weather report.

In both sentences the news comes first and 들었어요 comes last. The speaker takes no responsibility for the news, and the listener can reply with a question or a comment. The next section shows how to build the form.

How Do You Form -다고 들었어요?

-다고 들었어요 is formed by taking the plain-style form of the news and adding 고 들었어요. The plain style is the same one used in -대요/-냬요/-재요/-래요: verbs take -ㄴ다 or -는다, adjectives keep -다, and nouns take -(이)라.

Revised Romanization (RR) writes ondago deureosseoyo, meongneundago deureosseoyo, itdago deureosseoyo, gatdago deureosseoyo, gal georago deureosseoyo and uisarago deureosseoyo. The sound changes follow the 국립국어원 standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법): 먹는 is said [멍는], and 갔다 is said [갇따]. The next parts take the stem types one at a time.

Verbs

A vowel verb takes -ㄴ다고: 가다 gives 간다고, 오다 gives 온다고. A consonant verb takes -는다고: 먹다 gives 먹는다고. An ㄹ-stem drops its ㄹ before ㄴ: 만들다 gives 만든다고, and 살다 gives 산다고. A 하다 verb follows the vowel rule: 결혼하다 gives 결혼한다고.

Adjectives and 있다/없다

An adjective keeps its dictionary form in front of 고: 바쁘다고, 좋다고 (said [조타고]), 비싸다고. The words 있다 and 없다 behave the same way, so 재미있다 gives 재미있다고 and 맛있다 gives 맛있다고.

Past, Future and Nouns

For the past, put -았/었 before 다고: 어제 사고가 났다고 들었어요 ("I heard an accident happened yesterday"). For the future, use -(으)ㄹ 거라고. A noun takes -(이)라고, as in -(이)라고 하다: 의사라고 after a vowel and 학생이라고 after a consonant.

Why Is 들었어요 Not 듣었어요?

듣다 is a ㄷ-irregular verb. Its ㄷ becomes ㄹ before a vowel, so 듣 + 었어요 gives 들었어요. This is the same change you see in 들어요 ("I listen") and 들어서 ("because I heard"). Before a consonant, the ㄷ stays, as in 듣는다 and 듣고. With the forms clear, you can build a full sentence.

Worked Example: Building a Sentence with -다고 들었어요

-다고 들었어요 grammar works the same way every time, so a five-step routine is enough. Follow it to build "I heard that Minsu is getting married."

1. Write the news. The information is: 민수 씨가 결혼해요. ("Minsu is getting married.")
2. Turn the verb into the plain style. 결혼하다 has a vowel stem, so the plain present is 결혼한다.
3. Add 고. 결혼한다 + 고 becomes 결혼한다고.
4. Add 들었어요. 결혼한다고 들었어요.
5. Put it together. 민수 씨가 결혼한다고 들었어요. (minsu ssiga gyeolhonhandago deureosseoyo.)

You will know it worked if the news is in the plain style, 고 follows with no space, and 들었어요 closes the sentence. The most common slip is writing 결혼해요고 with a polite ending inside the news. The next question is which tenses and sentence types can follow.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -다고 들었어요?

-다고 들었어요 works with every tense in the news, and the reporting verb is nearly always past. You heard the news in the past, even if the news is about the present or the future.

If you have never heard the news, the usual phrase is 들은 적이 없어요 (deureun jeogi eopseoyo), as in 그런 얘기는 들은 적이 없어요, said [그런 얘기는 드른 저기 업써요], "I have never heard such a story." For the speech levels, see Korean speech levels.

The tense rule leads to the question that confuses learners most: how this pattern differs from other ways to pass on hearsay.

How Is -다고 들었어요 Different from -대요 and -(느)ㄴ다면서요?

-다고 들었어요 says "I heard this", while -대요 simply passes the news on, and -(느)ㄴ다면서요 asks the listener to confirm it. Ask yourself one question: do I want to name the source of the news, or check it?

Compare the three. 비가 온다고 들었어요 tells the listener that you heard it. 비가 온대요 gives the news with a casual voice. 비가 온다면서요? asks "Is it true that it will rain?" The pattern with a retrospective feeling is -다던데. The related ending -더라고요 reports something you saw or felt yourself, not hearsay.

These contrasts lead to a few variations.

Variations and Edge Cases of -다고 들었어요

-다고 들었어요 has five common variations. Each one helps you read and say real Korean.

• Naming the source. Put the person before 들었어요 with 한테 or 에게서: 친구한테 들었어요, 엄마한테서 들었어요. For a respected person, use 께: 선생님께 들었어요. For media, use 에서: 뉴스에서 들었어요.
• A formal register. 들었습니다 is used in meetings and writing: 내일 비가 온다고 들었습니다.
• The news phrase. In reports, 뉴스에 따르면 ("according to the news") comes first and the verb is usually 합니다: 뉴스에 따르면 내일 비가 온다고 합니다.
• A noun phrase. To say "the news that ...", use -다는 소식을 들었어요: 민수 씨가 결혼한다는 소식을 들었어요, said [민수 씨가 겨론한다는 소시글 드러써요].
• Asking for the source. 누구한테 들었어요? ("Who did you hear it from?") uses a question word, so it ends with a fall or rise-fall, not a sharp rise.

Think of 들었어요 as a label on the news: "heard, not seen." The five variations all keep that meaning and only change who the source is or how formal the sentence sounds.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -다고 들었어요?

Learners usually mis-conjugate 듣다, use the wrong base form, or keep a polite ending inside the news. Four mistakes appear again and again.

1. Writing 듣었어요. Wrong: 듣었어요. Right: 들었어요. 듣다 is a ㄷ-irregular verb, so ㄷ becomes ㄹ before a vowel.
2. Adding 는 to a vowel verb. Wrong: 가는다고 들었어요. Right: 간다고 들었어요. A vowel verb takes -ㄴ다.
3. Keeping a polite ending in the news. Wrong: 가요고 들었어요. Right: 간다고 들었어요. The news must be in the plain style before 고.
4. Using 이다 on a noun. Wrong: 학생이다고 들었어요. Right: 학생이라고 들었어요. A noun takes -(이)라고.

A quick check: Is the news in the plain style? Does 고 follow with no space? Is the last word 들었어요 with ㄹ, not ㄷ? If all three answers are yes, the sentence is sound.

The practice set below tests these points.

Practice and Answers

Try the four items before you read the answer key. Cover the answers with your hand.

1. Report what you heard. Change 내일 비가 와요 into "I heard it will rain tomorrow."
2. Choose the form. Fill in the blank with 듣다: 그 얘기를 친구한테 ___ .
3. Fix the error. A learner says 그 사람이 학생이다고 들었어요. Correct it.
4. Choose the source. How do you say "I heard it from a friend"?

Answer key

1. 내일 비가 온다고 들었어요. (naeil biga ondago deureosseoyo.) Turn 와요 into 온다, then add 고 들었어요.
2. 들었어요. The sentence is 그 얘기를 친구한테 들었어요, said [그 얘기를 친구한테 드러써요].
3. 그 사람이 학생이라고 들었어요. A noun takes -(이)라고, not 이다고.
4. 친구한테 들었어요. (chinguhante deureosseoyo.) Put the source before 들었어요 with 한테.

If you can complete items 1 to 3 without the key, you can pass on most news. The final section points to the next lessons.

What Should You Learn Next after -다고 들었어요 Grammar?

After -다고 들었어요 grammar, learn how to check hearsay and how to use it as background. This lesson teaches the statement of hearsay and does not cover every way to cite a source.

1. Learn -(느)ㄴ다면서요 to ask "I heard ..., is that true?"
2. Learn -다던데 to say "I heard ..., so ..."
3. Learn -다고 생각하다 to say "I think that ..."
4. Review the spoken short forms in -대요/-냬요/-재요/-래요.
5. Return to the Intermediate Grammar list for other patterns at this level.

With these steps, the choice becomes automatic: use -다고 들었어요 to name hearsay, and the others to check it or use it. For exam content and levels, check the current guide on topik.go.kr; the level shown here is an editorial estimate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does -다고 들었어요 mean?

-다고 들었어요 means "I heard that ..." or "I was told that ..." The news comes first in the plain style, then 고 들었어요 marks it as hearsay. 그 식당이 맛있다고 들었어요 means "I heard that restaurant is good." The speaker does not claim the news is true.

How do I attach -다고 들었어요 to a verb or adjective?

Put the plain-style form before 고 들었어요. A vowel verb takes -ㄴ다: 온다고. A consonant verb takes -는다: 먹는다고. An adjective keeps -다: 바쁘다고. 있다 and 없다 keep -다. A noun takes -(이)라고: 의사라고. The past adds -았/었: 갔다고.

Can -다고 들었어요 be used in the past tense?

The reporting verb is already past: 들었어요 means "heard." The news can be in any tense: 갔다고 들었어요 ("I heard he went") or 갈 거라고 들었어요 ("I heard he will go"), said [갈꺼라고 드러써요]. Only general talk uses the present 들어요.

Is -다고 들었어요 used in speech or only in writing?

It is used in both. In speech it is polite and neutral, and the casual form is -다고 들었어. In meetings and writing, use -다고 들었습니다. In news reports, the pattern 뉴스에 따르면 ... 한다고 합니다 is more common than 들었어요.

What is the most common mistake with -다고 들었어요?

The most common mistake is writing 듣었어요 instead of 들었어요; 듣다 is a ㄷ-irregular verb. Another is keeping the polite ending in the news (가요고) or using the wrong base form (가는다고 instead of 간다고).

What is the difference between -다고 들었어요 and -(느)ㄴ다면서요?

-다고 들었어요 states what you heard: 간다고 들었어요, "I heard you are going." -(느)ㄴ다면서요 asks the listener to confirm it with a rising tone: 간다면서요? "I heard you are going, is that right?" The first gives information, and the second asks for a yes or no.

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