JLPT N3 Grammar
· Intermediate
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· Intermediate
I heard that... (Formal)
Category: Hearsay and Information
The grammar pattern "普通形 + ととのことだ" is used to report information from a third party in a formal and polite manner. It is often used in business communication, news reporting, or formal letters to convey information that has been heard or learned from someone else. This pattern is a more formal version of "〜ということだ" and is suitable for situations where a higher level of politeness is required.
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain form of the verb | 普通形 + ととのことだ | 食べる + ととのことだ = 食べるとのことだ |
| Plain form of the verb (in the negative) | 普通形 + ないとのことだ | 食べない + ないとのことだ = 食べないとのことだ |
| Plain form of the verb (in the polite form) | 普通形 + とのことだ | 食べる + とのことだ = 食べるとのことだ |
先ほどお電話がありましたが、山田様は少し遅れるとのことだ。
Saki ni o denwa ga arimashita ga, Yamada-san wa sukoshi osoi to no koto da.
I heard that Mr. Yamada will be a bit late.
先ほど (just now), お電話 (phone call), ありました (was), が (but), 山田様 (Mr. Yamada), は (is), 少し (a bit), 遅れる (will be late), とのこと (hearsay), だ (polite marker)
お手紙によりますと、ご家族の皆様もお元気とのことです。
O te-gami ni yotte, go kazoku no minna-sama mo o genki to no koto desu.
I heard that your family members are all doing well.
お手紙 (letter), に (by), よって (therefore), ご家族 (family), の (of), 皆様 (all), も (also), お元気 (doing well), とのこと (hearsay), です (polite marker)
今回のプロジェクトは見送りになったとのことです、非常に残念です。
Konkai no purojekuto wa misomi ni natta to no koto desu, hishini namen desu.
I heard that this project was cancelled, and I'm very disappointed.
今回の (this time), プロジェクト (project), は (is), 見送り (cancelled), に (by), なった (became), とのこと (hearsay), です (polite marker), 非常に (very), 残念 (disappointed)
This pattern is used to report information from a third party in a formal and polite manner. It is often used in business communication, news reporting, or formal letters. It is a more formal version of "〜ということだ" and is suitable for situations where a higher level of politeness is required.
The pattern '普通形 + ととのことだ' is too formal for casual conversations. Use 'と聞いた' or 'と聞いたようだ' instead.
The particle 'の' is used to indicate about or regarding, while 'との' is used to indicate hearsay. Pay attention to the context and the particle used to avoid confusion.
The pattern '普通形 + ととのことだ' requires the plain form of the verb. Do not use non-plain forms in the middle of a sentence.
Pay attention to the context and the particle used to determine whether to use '普通形 + ととのことだ' or 'と聞いた' or 'と聞いたようだ'. Also, make sure to use the plain form of the verb.
先ほどお電話がありましたが、山田様は少し遅れる______。
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