～と言っていた・～と聞いた
Report what a specific person told you
You'll be able to attribute news or an opinion to the person you heard it from, rather than leaving the source vague.
父は明日帰ると言っていました。
chichi wa ashita kaeru to itte imashita.
What do you think this sentence means?
My father said he would return tomorrow.
Report a past message or something heard
～と言っていた reports what someone was saying or said in a relevant past conversation. ～と聞いた reports information you heard, without necessarily identifying the original speaker.
この店は安いと聞きました。
kono mise wa yasui to kikimashita.
I heard that this shop is inexpensive.
Form and use ～と言っていた・～と聞いた
Noun and な-adjective predicates retain だ inside the quote. Keep the reported message’s tense and polarity. Context determines whether past 言っていた refers to repeated speech or a remembered statement.
この店は安いと聞きました。
kono mise wa yasui to kikimashita.
I heard that this shop is inexpensive.
先生は忙しいと言っていました。
sensei wa isogashii to itte imashita.
The teacher said they were busy.
田中さんは明日休むと言っていました。
tanaka-san wa ashita yasumu to itte imashita.
Tanaka-san said that he'd take tomorrow off.
母は週末にこちらへ来ると言っていました。
haha wa shuumatsu ni kochira e kuru to itte imashita.
My mother said she'd come here on the weekend.
先生はテストは来週だと言っていました。
sensei wa tesuto wa raishuu da to itte imashita.
The teacher said the test is next week.
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