-더라고
-더라고: I Saw That… — Witness Report (+요)
Form from -더라 + quotative 고: report witnessed/experienced content, often with 요.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | -더라고 | 많더라고 / 좋더라고 |
| Polite | -더라고요 | 많더라고요 / 맛있더라고요 |
-더라고(요) reports what you witnessed — I saw / found that….
It packages firsthand experience as a report ending. Soft 요 is common in polite speech (-더라고요).
Why this is hard
Learners already know hearsay -다고. They then treat -더라고 as “said that” and erase the I experienced it piece. The -더- is the witness marker; without it you are in a different report family.
It also sits next to -데 and -던. Same memory/witness neighbourhood; this one finishes the sentence as a report.
What it does
You tell what you personally observed or felt.
거기가 생각보다 넓더라고요.
그 음식 맵더라고요.
그 분 정말 친절하더라고요.
길이 막히더라고요.Forms
Stem + -더라고 / polite -더라고요.
When not to use it
Do not use it for pure rumour you never saw — use a hearsay quote pattern instead.
Do not swap it with every -다고요; that often reports speech, not sensory finding.
Do not overuse it as a filler “you know” — save it for actual witness flavour.
Neighbours — and why they differ
| Form | Why it is not this slot |
|---|---|
| -데 | Connective runway from experience; not this report ending. |
| hearsay -다고 | Reports speech/thought; not necessarily witnessed. |
| -는데 | Background; weaker witness claim. |
Ask: am I reporting what I myself saw or felt? If yes, -더라고(요). If you only quote someone’s words, use speech report.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
On the jabi learning path, this appears in 종결어미 (final ending) — Advanced Korean 1, Unit 3, on the theme of final ending. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. You tasted the dish yourself and want to report that heat — not pass along hearsay. Which line fits?
2. 넓다 — which line packages the witness report with quotative 고 and polite 요?
3. Same firsthand finding, but you are talking to a peer in banmal — not polite conversation. Which line fits?
Common questions
Dictionary?
우리말샘 -더라고 「001」: -더라 + quotative particle 고.
Why 요?
Curriculum gloss: 요 often — -더라고요 is the polite spoken default.
Vs -더라?
-더라 is the bare experiential ending. -더라고 packages it with 고 (and often 요).
Vs -던데?
-던데 often opens for reaction. -더라고요 closes as a report.