Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 2: 13/22

()(こと)I heard that, Rumor has it that, It is said that, It means that

Can be rephrased to とのことだ if expresses hearsay.

Structure

Phrase + いうこと +

Details

  • Standard

About ということだ

Like ということ, an expression used for nominalizing a phrase in the fashion of 'the ~ that ~', ということだ makes use of the auxiliary verb (or です), and stresses that the nominalized phrase 'is' the case. This phrase is often translated as 'I heard that', or 'it is said that', but literally, it is closer to 'it is that it's ~'. The is what gives this expression a high degree of certainty, therefore implying that the speaker has heard the statement elsewhere, and is sure of its validity.

ということだ can be added to the end of any phrase that the speaker wants to highlight as being something that is known.

ということだ is regularly paired with other expressions that show the 'source' of information, such as によると, or によれば.

When ということだ is being used to express hearsay (statements that cannot easily be proven), it can be rephrased as とのことだ. The literal difference between these two phrases is as follows:

ということだ - It can be explained that (A) is ~ (more emphasis on the information).

とのことだ - The statement of (A) has been applied to ~ (more emphasis on the source that 'applied' the information).

Caution

ということだ is considered to be more formal than そうだ when reporting information that has been heard from another source. This is primarily due to ということだ expressing something that is thought to be a fact, while そうだ retains the nuance of being something that is a speculation/guess.



Vocab Coverage

All Bunpro Vocab that appears on this item.

Examples

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  • (ひと)によって(かんが)(かた)(ちが)という(こと)

    It is said that different people have different ways of thinking.

  • イルカは動物(どうぶつ)(なか)(あたま)一番(いちばん)いいという(こと)

    It is said that dolphins are the smartest of all animals.

  • それはただ文化(ぶんか)(ちが)という(こと)

    That just means that their cultures are different. (it is said)

  • 田中(たなか)さんと山田(やまだ)さんは、秘密(ひみつ)()()っているという(こと)

    It is said that Tanaka-san and Yamada-san are dating in secret. (rumor has it)

  • 忍耐(にんたい)先生(せんせい)によりますと、ガンの治療(ちりょう)方法(ほうほう)がとうとう()つかったという(こと)です

    According to professor Nintai, (it is said that) the cure for cancer has been finally discovered.

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ということだ – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (19 in total)

  • ShinobiTay

    ShinobiTay

    Thank you that helps a lot!

  • bokudake

    bokudake

    Is using ということなのだ at the end of the sentence wrong instead of this grammar point? After all it only adds more emphasis.

    I failed this time, however, it means I challenged myself with new things.
    今回()失敗()だったけど、()しいことにチャレンジしたということだ
    vs
    今回()失敗()だったけど、()しいことにチャレンジしたということなのだ

  • ThOmAS78

    ThOmAS78

    Don’t 苦しいこともある。でもそれが生きるという事だ。and 苦しいこともある。でもそれが生きるものだ。have pretty much the same nuance?

    Cause i was pretty confident in ものだ/もんだ only for it to be marked as wrong

    Edit: 物だ actually also has a similar example sentence → 生きるのは大変だ。人生とはそういう物だ。

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