そうだ details
write + I hear that
kaku sou da
I hear that; they say that
meaning: will reportedly write
天気予報によると、明日は雨が降るそうだ。
tenkiyohou ni yoru to, ashita wa ame ga furu sou da.
According to the forecast, it's going to rain tomorrow. neutral
田中さん、来月結婚するそうだよ。
tanaka-san, raigetsu kekkonsuru sou da yo.
Tanaka will reportedly get married next month. casual
- polite
Examples
I hear that; they say that — relaying another source's statement, tense and polarity intact
天気予報によると、明日は雨が降るそうだ。
tenkiyohou ni yoru to, ashita wa ame ga furu sou da.
According to the forecast, it's going to rain tomorrow. neutral
田中さん、来月結婚するそうだよ。
tanaka-san, raigetsu kekkonsurusouda yo.
Tanaka will reportedly get married next month. casual
新しい支店は四月に開店するそうです。
atarashii shiten wa shigatsu ni kaitensurusoudesu.
The new branch will reportedly open in April. formal
Formation
{V}そうだattaches to dictionary formplain clause + そうだattaches to plain clause
Notes
Related patterns
Similar
Both pass on secondhand information, but そうだ relays a specific report almost verbatim (a source you could name), while らしい blends hearsay with the speaker's own inference and stays vague about where it came from.
Lookalikes
Identical そうだ tail, one mora apart on verbs — plain form 降るそうだ relays what someone said ("I hear"), masu-stem 降りそうだ reads the sky ("looks like"); the attachment alone flips the information source.
Both bolt onto a finished plain clause and report its content, but と思う sources the claim to the speaker's own head and そうだ to someone else's mouth — 来ると思う is an opinion, 来るそうだ a relayed report.