Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 3: 19/22

と言(い)えるWould or could say that..., Can probably say that..., Fair to say that...

と言える by itself makes the statement much more frank

Structure

Phrase + と + （も） + 言(い)える + だろう
Phrase + と + （も） + いえ よう

Details

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About と言える

と言(い)える is a common expression that utilizes the potential form of the verb 言(い)う 'to say', to highlight that it is possible for something to be said. This phrase is often used to express a general idea about something that the speaker believes to be correct. と言(い)える translates as 'it is fair to say (A)', or 'one could say (A)'.

As the case marking particle と is being used in its 引用(いんよう) (citation) use, と言(い)える may follow any direct phrase/statement.

と言(い)える is regularly seen paired with grammar patterns like だろう, or でしょう. This makes the overall statement more friendly, by considering the listener's thoughts about the issue being presented. と言(い)えるだろう can simply be translated as 'can we not say (A)?', or '(A) can be said, right?'.

Caution

When the potential form of 言(い)う is linked with the auxiliary verb よう, it creates a much stronger phrase that is similar to 'let it be said that (A)'.

Fun Fact

The speaker is usually relatively confident about their statement when using と言(い)える, but the usage of a form that expresses conjecture shows that they are open to the possibility of being wrong, thus softening the tone.

Related

Examples

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    彼(かれ)らは同時(どうじ)にゴールインしたと言(い)えるだろう。

    One could say that they got to the finish line at the same time.

    船(ふね)は飛行機(ひこうき)ほど速(はや)くないが、それでも船旅(ふなたび)を好(この)む人(ひと)は多(おお)いと言(い)えるだろう。

    Boats are not as fast as planes are, but it is still fair to say that a lot of people enjoy trips by boat.

    発明家(はつめいか)は、「変人(へんじん)」という評価(ひょうか)を一般(いっぱん)の人(ひと)から下(くだ)されてきたと言(い)えるだろう。

    You can probably say that the inventors were labeled as 'eccentrics' by the common folk.

    ２０(にじゅっ)世紀(せいき)にはコンピュータによって生活(せいかつ)しやすくなってきたと言(い)えるだろう。

    It is fair to say that life is getting easier due to (the advent of) computers in the 20th century.

    このマニフェストは自然(しぜん)環境(かんきょう)の現在(げんざい)の状態(じょうたい)についてのひとつの意見(いけん)だと言(い)えるだろう。

    One could say that this manifesto is one of the opinions about the current state of the natural environment.

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      と言える – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (4 in total)

      • Pushindawood

        Pushindawood

        would/could say that…
        can probably say that…
        fair to say that…

        Structure

        • Phrase + と言える + だろう/でしょう

        Alternatives

        • Phrase + といえよう
        • Phrase + ともいえる

        と言える by itself makes the statement much more frank. Formal.

        [と言ってもいいだろう・でしょう - speaker is less sure/confident than と言えるだろう・でしょう]

        [Used when the writer/speaker is confident about what he/she is going to say, but at the same time softens the tone of the statement with words expressing conjecture]

        [だろう and でしょう are often used this way with other verbs, for example when very politely asking for permission: 質問してもよろしいでしょうか]

      • Schuylerca

        Schuylerca

        this is driving me totally nuts! sometimes it’s だろう sometimes でしょう…but both are not valid answers to the sentences even though they seem to mean the same thing.

        Can someone explain the subtle difference in meaning as to why といえばだろう vs といえばでしょう and why one is right and one is wrong on a case by case???

      • nekoyama

        nekoyama

        I tried with cram and it accepted both for me. Is it possible you’re typoing it in review too and not just in this post (you wrote 言えば but it should be 言える)?

      • Schuylerca

        Schuylerca

        didn’t think I was doing that but maybe…the behavior was a little strange…but I have since restarted the computer so we shall see how it goes today

      • Daru

        Daru

        The difference is politeness level!

        If it’s a polite sentence, switching to だろう is ungrammatical. On a casual sentence, でしょう is not terribly wrong but it feels off.

        You don’t say: 先生、東京タワーをご覧になりましたか。すごいだろう？ since its a bit jarring. Hope this helps!

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