彼らは言った
karera wa itta
In Japanese, "they said" is expressed as 彼らは言った (karera wa itta).
This phrase is used to report that a group of people spoke or stated something in the past. When reporting a specific statement, the phrase is often preceded by the particle と, creating the structure …と言った (said that…).
Which one should you use?
The form 言った is the casual version, whereas 言いました is used in formal or polite settings. For a very casual style, you can use 言ってた and for a colloquial style that emphasizes information or provides an explanation, use 言ってたんだ.
How do you pronounce it?
karera wa itta
Did you know?
- The word 彼 originally meant 'that person' and was only later adopted as the specific word for 'he' under Western influence.
- While 言った means 'said', if you use the verb 言う (to say) to describe someone's opinion, it can sometimes carry a nuance of 'to claim' or 'to assert', implying the speaker might not actually believe what was said.
- When reporting what someone said in a very polite or formal setting, you would likely replace 言った with the humble or honorific versions of 'say', such as おっしゃった (honorific) or 申し上げた (humble).
Examples in context
- 彼女たちは言ってました。They (females) said.
