Grow with Kitty

plain form + そうです (plain form + sou desu) — Passing on what you heard

Reporting what someone told you, or what you read, exactly as it came — "I hear that ~".

Formula (सूत्र ढाँचा)

V / い-adj plain form attach directly
な-adj / N + だ だ stays
そうです I hear that

Grammar rule (व्याकरण नियम र परिभाषा)

「〜そうです」shows that the news is not yours — it came from someone else. How to attach it: put そうです straight onto the plain form (普通形) of a verb or an い-adjective (降る → 降るそうです, おいしい → おいしいそうです). With な-adjectives and nouns the だ stays (大変だ → 大変だそうです, 病気だ → 病気だそうです). Tense and negatives go on the part in front (降らないそうです, 降ったそうです); そうです itself never changes — there is no そうでした and no そうじゃないです. To name where the news came from, put 〜に よると or 〜の 話では in front. The big trap: the そうです of N4 Lesson 18 (how something looks) attached after dropping ます — 雨が 降りそうです = looking at the sky, it is about to rain; 雨が 降るそうです = I hear it will rain. Which to pick? Use そうです for something you heard or read; use ようです when you saw it yourself and worked it out.

Examples (उदाहरणहरू)

天気予報に よると明日は 雨が降るそうです

天気予報に よると、明日は 雨が 降るそうです。

tenki yohou ni yoru to, ashita wa ame ga furu sou desu.

According to the weather forecast, it will rain tomorrow.

あの 店の ラーメンはおいしいそうです

あの 店の ラーメンは おいしいそうです。

ano mise no raamen wa oishii sou desu.

I hear the ramen at that shop is delicious.

この 仕事は大変そうです

この 仕事は 大変だそうです。

kono shigoto wa taihen da sou desu.

I hear this job is tough.

Knowledge check (मिनी ज्ञान जाँच)

Question: 1/3

Which correctly says "I hear it will rain tomorrow"?

💡 Hint: Hearsay needs the plain form.

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