New here? This is lesson 207 of a free 240-lesson Simplified Chinese course.
I heard in Simplified Chinese
The breakfast shop is buzzing about a fortune slip and a person said to be coming from far away. Maya has only heard the story second-hand.
Learn how to report what someone said, pass along a message, and make clear that you do not know whether a rumor is true.
A-Li's unfinished drink is still at the table. The slip remains unexplained, and the neighbors are still guessing.
By the end of this lesson
Report what you heard, pass on a message, and say when you are unsure whether information is true.
- 我听说___I heard that ___.
- 他说他明天会来He said he'll come tomorrow.
- 她叫我告诉你She asked me to tell you.
- 据说很准They say it's very accurate.
- 我只是听人家说的I only heard it from others.
- 不知道是真是假I don't know if it's true.
Scene — rumors at breakfast
Morning at Banyan Breakfast: several neighbors are discussing the fortune slip and the person said to come from far away.
Maya has heard the story from other people, not from anyone who can confirm it. A-Li sits nearby with his soy milk still unfinished.
Learn — passing on what you heard
These lines help you share a message or rumor without claiming it as fact. Listen for the difference between reporting what one person said and what people generally say.
Use the final line when you want to be honest about uncertainty.
我听说___
I heard that ___.
When to use it: Use this to introduce information you heard from someone else.
Follow this frame with the information you heard, without presenting it as confirmed fact.
他说他明天会来
He said he'll come tomorrow.
When to use it: Use this to pass on what a man said about his plans.
他说 introduces reported speech, and the words after it give the message he passed on.
她叫我告诉你
She asked me to tell you.
When to use it: Use this when someone asked you to pass a message to the listener.
叫我告诉你 means someone asked me to pass a message to you; the person is understood from context.
据说很准
They say it's very accurate.
When to use it: Use this to report a general claim without saying you know it is true.
据说 presents information as something people say, without claiming it is true.
我只是听人家说的
I only heard it from others.
When to use it: Use this to explain that your information came from other people.
The 的 here marks an 是…的 construction, with 是 often omitted, to emphasize how you got the information.
不知道是真是假
I don't know if it's true.
When to use it: Use this when you cannot confirm whether something is true or false.
Story — a rumor at the shop
Listen to Maya and the neighbors trade second-hand stories at Banyan Breakfast. The fortune slip is still folded away, and nobody knows whether the rumor is true.
A-Li is there with his unfinished soy milk.
Auntie Lin你也听说那张签了吗？Have you heard about that fortune slip too?
Maya我听说那个从远方来的人会出现。I heard that the person from far away will appear.- Auntie Lin据说很准。They say it's very accurate.
- Maya我只是听人家说的。I only heard it from others.
Yi-Jun阿杰说他明天会来。A-Jie said he'll come tomorrow.- Maya他说他明天会来。He said he'll come tomorrow.
- Yi-Jun陈医师请阿姨传话。Dr. Chen asked Auntie to pass on a message.
- Auntie Lin她叫我告诉你，大家都在猜。She asked me to tell you that everyone is guessing.
- Yi-Jun你怎么知道的？How do you know?
- Maya我也是听别人说的，我不知道。I also just heard it from other people, so I do not know.
A-Li你们在聊什么？What are you talking about?- Maya大家在聊那张签。Everyone is talking about that fortune slip.
- Auntie Lin你觉得签上的话是真的吗？Do you think what's on the slip is true?
- Maya不知道是真是假。I don't know if it's true.
Practice — pass it on
Try ten exercises to report a message, fill in missing words, and respond carefully to a rumor. Some questions revisit earlier expressions.
Choose the answer that fits the situation, then say it aloud.
0 of 10 done
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
据说很准
What do you say?
What do you say?
You need a frame to introduce hearsay, before you add any details. Choose that opener.
What do you say?
What do you say?
A man told you he will come tomorrow. Pass that message on.
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
She asked me to tell you.
她叫我____你
Swap the word
Swap the word
You heard a story from other people, not directly from the person involved.
我只是听____说的
Match the pairs
Simplified Chinese
她叫我告诉你Drop the English here据说很准Drop the English here不知道是真是假Drop the English hereEnglish
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Pick the reply
Auntie Lin says:
Pick the reply
大家都说那张签很准，你知道是真的吗？
Everyone says the slip is accurate. Do you know if that's true?
And you reply with:
What do you say?
What do you say?
Someone asks whether you know who started the rumor. Say you do not know.
What do you say?
What do you say?
Ask a friend how they learned about an unconfirmed story.
Say it — share what you heard
You play Maya as she talks with Auntie Lin, Yi-Jun, and A-Li at Banyan Breakfast. Listen to each cue and report what you heard.
Use a careful tone: the neighbors are sharing rumors, not confirmed facts.
- Yi-Jun asked Maya to tell Auntie Lin a message.
- Maya (you)Tell Auntie Lin that Yi-Jun asked you to pass this on.
Tell Auntie Lin that Yi-Jun asked you to pass this on.
她叫我告诉你
She asked me to tell you.
0 of 4 said
Recap — what you can say now
| Simplified Chinese | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| 我听说___ | I heard that ___. | |
| 他说他明天会来 | He said he'll come tomorrow. | |
| 她叫我告诉你 | She asked me to tell you. | |
| 据说很准 | They say it's very accurate. | |
| 我只是听人家说的 | I only heard it from others. | |
| 不知道是真是假 | I don't know if it's true. |
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards
Review today's expressions in Yak Cards and practise passing on what you heard.
When you share a rumor, make clear whether you know it yourself or only heard it from someone else.
Open Yak Cards