〜と言っていた

They said that...; I heard that...

1. Overview

「〜と言っていた」 is a Japanese grammar structure used to report what someone else said or mentioned. It is often used when relaying information or quoting someone indirectly, conveying that the speaker is reporting something they heard or were told by someone else.

2. Structure

• Grammar Structure:

  • Verb (dictionary form) + と言っていた
  • い-adjective (dictionary form) + と言っていた
  • な-adjective + だ + と言っていた
  • Noun + だ + と言っていた

• Explanation: This structure is used to report indirect speech or to quote what someone else said. The verb 「言っていた」 is the past continuous form of 「言う」 (to say), indicating that the speaker mentioned it in the past.

3. Usage Explanation

• Connection: Used frequently in everyday conversations and written communication to quote or report what was said by someone else.

• Meaning: Generally translates as "They said that..." or "I heard that..." in English.

4. Example Sentences

1. 彼は明日来ると言っていた。
   He said that he would come tomorrow.

2. 先生は試験が難しいと言っていた。
   The teacher said that the exam would be difficult.

3. 彼女は新しい仕事を始めたと言っていた。
   She said that she started a new job.

4. 天気予報は雨が降ると言っていた。
   The weather forecast said that it would rain.

5. 彼らは今夜パーティーがあると言っていた。
   They said that there would be a party tonight.

5. Alternative Grammar

• 〜と言いました: A more formal way to report what someone said, using the past tense instead of the past continuous.
  • Example: 彼は明日来ると言いました。
    He said that he would come tomorrow.

6. Related Grammar

• 〜そうだ: Another way to convey hearsay or information from another person, meaning "I heard that..."
  • Example: 彼は明日来るそうだ。
    I heard that he would come tomorrow.

7. Points to Note

• Context: 「〜と言っていた」 is commonly used in informal or conversational contexts. It indicates that the information was shared in the past and is being repeated by the speaker.

• Tone: The phrase carries a neutral tone and is primarily used to report what others have said.

8. Summary

「〜と言っていた」 is a grammatical structure used to report what someone said or mentioned in the past. It is widely used in everyday conversations to relay indirect speech, allowing the speaker to share information they heard from others.