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Lesson 47 — そうです (伝聞でんぶん) · ようです · がします

BOOK II · 初級 II みんなの日本語 · Mini no Nihongo

L47 · そう (hearsay) · ようです

Name Date

REFそうです (伝聞でんぶん) · ようです · がします

1. 〜そうです— hearsay (伝聞でんぶん)

Formation: plain form + そうです. な-adj and noun KEEP だ.

TypeExample
verb
verb past
い-adj
な-adj
noun

Hearsay そう has no negative or past form of its own— そうでした ✕. Change the tense inside instead: 降ふったそうです.

Source marker: 〜によると

2. ⚠ L43 そう vs L47 そう — the core contrast

L43 appearanceL47 hearsay
attaches toます-stem / adj stemplain form
verb
い-adj
な-adj
meaninglooks likeI heard

3. 〜ようです — conjecture from evidence

Formation: plain form + ようです. な-adj → な, noun → の.

TypeExample
verb
い-adj
な-adj
noun

ようです rests on what the speaker directly senses or infers — more grounded than でしょう or かもしれません.

4. Certainty comparison

FormBasis
someone told me
my own inference from evidence
logical certainty
general expectation
bare possibility

5. Sensory 〜がします

NounExample

These sensations always take が + します.

Set expressions会話かいわ

Key vocabulary

においがします音おとがします味あじがします声こえがします集あつまります別わかれます離婚りこんします倒たおれます燃もえます盗ぬすみます逃にげます捕つかまえます調しらべます泥棒どろぼう火事かじ地震じしん事故じこ救急車きゅうきゅうしゃ消防車しょうぼうしゃパトカー〜によると

詳説 In depth — grammar notes

1. 〜そうです — hearsay (伝聞でんぶん)

You are repeating information without taking responsibility for it. Attach そうです to the plain form, whatever it is — past, negative, noun, adjective.

TypeBefore そうですExample
verbplain
い-adjplain
な-adj+ だ
noun+ だ
JapaneseEnglish
According to the forecast, it'll snow tomorrow.
I hear Mr Yamada is getting married next month.
They say that film was good.

Hearsay そうです has no other forms. ✕ · ✕ — put the tense and the negative inside the quoted part: .

Source marker: 〜によると

JapaneseEnglish
According to the news, there was an earthquake.
From what Mr Yamada says, the boss has been hospitalised.

Pairs to keep: (hearsay) · (L33, a specific person's words) · (formal announcements).

2. ⚠ L43 そう vs L47 そう — the exam trap

appearance (L43)hearsay (this lesson)
attaches tostemplain form
い-adj
verb
な-adj
noun✕
modifies a noun✕
negative

One い or one だ decides the meaning. Read the shape before the そう, not the そう itself.

3. 〜ようです — my conclusion from the evidence

ようです is your own judgement based on something you can see, hear, smell or infer. It follows a noun modifier: plain form, な-adjective + な, noun + の.

TypeBefore ようです
verb
い-adj
な-adj+ な:
noun+ の:
JapaneseEnglish
The road is wet — it seems it rained.
The room is dark; it looks like nobody's in.
I have a fever — seems I've caught a cold.

みたいです is the casual twin of ようです and attaches like a noun: · . Same meaning, spoken register.

4. Comparing the guessing forms

FormBasisExample
how it looks right now
evidence I have gathered
logic from a known fact
general expectation
bare possibility
somebody told me

5. Sensory 〜がします

For sensations that arrive on their own — the same "it reaches me" idea as 見みえます / 聞きこえます (L27).

JapaneseEnglish
There's a nice smell from the kitchen.
There's a strange noise, isn't there.
This soup tastes spicy.
I feel a bit chilly.
におい音おと味あじ声こえ気きがします

Error table

✕○Why
hearsay keeps だ
hearsay takes the plain form
tense goes inside the quote
noun + の before ようです
sensation takes が

Try translating

EnglishJapanese
I hear it's going to snow tomorrow.
According to the news, there was an accident.
That cake looks delicious.
They say that cake is delicious.
The road is wet — it seems it rained.
There's a nice smell coming from the kitchen.

練習 Practice — 8 questions

  1. Q1 hearsay · verb

    'I hear Tanaka is getting married next month.'

    そ
    う
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B plain form + そうです = hearsay。結婚けっこんしたそうです is PAST hearsay.
  2. Q2 hearsay · な-adj

    'I heard that shop is famous.' (有名ゆうめい= な-adj)

    そ
    う
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B Hearsay KEEPS だ:有名ゆうめいだそうです. (有名ゆうめいそう = looks famous, L43)
  3. Q3 hearsay · noun

    'I heard he's sick.' (病気びょうき = noun)

    そ
    う
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B noun + だ + そうです
  4. Q4 source

    'According to the forecast, it'll rain tomorrow.'

    に
    よ
    る
    と
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    A 〜によると pairs with hearsay そうです
  5. Q5 L43 vs L47

    THE contrast: which means 'I heard it will rain'?

    そ
    う
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B 降ふる (plain) + そう = heard. 降ふり (stem) + そう = looks like。降ふったそうです is past hearsay ('I heard it rained').
  6. Q6 conjecture

    'It seems there was a fire somewhere.' (inferring from evidence)

    よ
    う
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B plain + ようです = conjecture from what you sense
  7. Q7 noun + ようです

    'It seems to be a cold.' (風邪かぜ= noun)

    よ
    う
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B noun + の + ようです (な-adj takes な)
  8. Q8 sensory

    'There's a nice smell.'

    が
    し
    ま
    す
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B 匂におい/音おと/味あじ+ がします

解答 Answer key

  1. Q1 B plain form + そうです = hearsay。結婚けっこんしたそうです is PAST hearsay.
  2. Q2 B Hearsay KEEPS だ:有名ゆうめいだそうです. (有名ゆうめいそう = looks famous, L43)
  3. Q3 B noun + だ + そうです
  4. Q4 A 〜によると pairs with hearsay そうです
  5. Q5 B 降ふる (plain) + そう = heard. 降ふり (stem) + そう = looks like。降ふったそうです is past hearsay ('I heard it rained').
  6. Q6 B plain + ようです = conjecture from what you sense
  7. Q7 B noun + の + ようです (な-adj takes な)
  8. Q8 B 匂におい/音おと/味あじ+ がします