そうだ
I heard that, It is said that
Structure
［い］Adjective + そう + だ
Noun + だ + そう + だ
［な］Adjective + だ + そう + だ
Explanation
The Japanese auxiliary verb そうだ has two main applications. It is used to express one of two concepts:
Hearsay: 伝聞 - Relaying information that has been reported by someone else.
Appearance: 様態 - Describing the way something 'seems' or 'looks'.
The appearance usage is explained in a separate lesson, so this grammar point will focus on the hearsay function. When reporting information from another person or source, そうだ (or the polite そうです) is attached to the plain form of a verb or い-Adjective. With a noun or な-Adjective, だ is placed before そうだ.
- あの店は来週開店するそうだ。I hear that store is opening next week.
- 田中さんは昨日熱があったそうです。I heard that Tanaka-san had a fever yesterday.
- この公園は夜は静かだそうです。They say this park is quiet at night.
- 今日の午後は雨だそうだ。I heard it's going to rain this afternoon.
そうだ carries a nuance that the speaker cannot personally vouch for the information they are sharing. Because of this, it conveys less certainty than other expressions, such as ようだ.
Caution
To distinguish between the そうだ for reporting information and the そうだ for describing appearances, it is essential to memorize the following conjugation differences.
Verbs -
開くそうだ - Plain form verb, そうだ used for reporting information.
開きそうだ - Conjunctive form, そうだ used for describing appearances.
い-Adjectives -
おいしいそうだ - Unaltered adjective, そうだ used for reporting information.
おいしそうだ - い is dropped, そうだ used for describing appearances.
Nouns and な-Adjectives -
便利だそうだ - だ comes before そうだ. This reports information.
便利そうだ - No だ is used between the な-Adjective and そうだ. This describes an appearance.
Examples
先生は最近忙しいそうだ。
I hear that the teacher is busy lately.
田中さんのお父さんは医者だそうだ。
I heard that Mr. Tanaka's father is a doctor.
あのレストランはとても有名だそうです。
I've heard that that restaurant is very famous.
明日は天気が良くて、晴れるそうだ。
I heard that the weather will be nice tomorrow and it will be sunny.
来年から消費税が上がるそうだ。
I hear that the consumption tax is going to rise from next year.
その映画は長いけど、とても面白いそうだ。
That movie is long, but I hear it's very interesting.
鈴木さん一家は来月、北海道に引っ越すそうだ。
I heard that the Suzuki family is moving to Hokkaido next month.
あの店はもうすぐ閉まるそうだから、急ごう。
I heard that store is closing soon, so let's hurry.
今日のイベントは大雨で中止になるそうだ。ざんねんだね。
I hear today's event is going to be cancelled because of the heavy rain. What a shame.
駅の近くにできた新しいスーパーは便利だそうだ。
I've heard that the new supermarket that opened near the station is convenient.
コンサートは午後7時に始まるそうだ。
I heard the concert starts at 7 PM.
私の高校の時の友達が来年結婚するそうだ。
I heard that my friend from high school is getting married next year.