-(으)라고 하다

Build it

When to use it

Attachment is the standard rule: vowel stems take -라고, consonant stems -으라고. Stems in ㄹ keep the ㄹ: 만들라고 했어요. The negative is -지 말라고.

As with statements, the original politeness vanishes. Whether the teacher said 가세요 or 가, you report it as 가라고 했어요.

Now the irregular one. 주다 splits in two. If the thing is to be given to the speaker, the reported form is 달라고: 친구가 책을 달라고 했어요 (my friend asked me to give him the book). If it goes to someone else, it stays 주라고: 친구가 동생한테 책을 주라고 했어요.

How to attach it

In use

1. 선생님이 일찍 오라고 하셨어요.

   The teacher told us to come early.

2. 의사가 매일 운동하라고 했어요.

   The doctor told me to exercise every day.

3. 어머니가 저녁을 만들라고 하셨어요.

   My mother told me to make dinner.

4. 친구가 그 책을 달라고 했어요.

   My friend asked me to give him that book.

5. 여기에서는 사진을 찍지 말라고 했어요.

   They said not to take photos here.

6. 부모님이 조심하라고 하셨어요.

   My parents told me to be careful.

Compared with

• -(느)ㄴ다고 하다

  Statements versus commands. The difference of one syllable changes what the speaker was doing.

  간다고 했어요. (he said he’s going)  /  가라고 했어요. (he told me to go)

• -아라/어라

  The reported form is built on -(으)라, not on -아라/어라. So 먹어라 is reported as 먹으라고, never 먹어라고.

  먹어라. → 먹으라고 했어요.

• 달라고 vs 주라고

  The direction of the giving decides the form. If the speaker wants it for themselves, 달라고; if for a third party, 주라고.

  책을 달라고 했어요. (give it to me)  /  동생한테 주라고 했어요. (give it to my sibling)

Watch out

• 선생님이 일찍 와라고 하셨어요.

  선생님이 일찍 오라고 하셨어요.

  Reported commands use -(으)라, not the spoken -아라/어라. 와라 becomes 오라고.

• 친구가 그 책을 주라고 했어요. — meaning “give it to me”

  친구가 그 책을 달라고 했어요.

  When the speaker is the one receiving, 주다 becomes 달라고. 주라고 sends it to somebody else.

• 사진을 찍지 않으라고 했어요.

  사진을 찍지 말라고 했어요.

  Negative commands are built on 말다, so the reported form is -지 말라고.

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