ように言う details
write + tell someone to do — an instruction passed on in the reporter's own words
kaku you ni iu
tell someone to do — an instruction passed on in the reporter's own words
受付で、二階の窓口に行くように言われた。
uketsuke de, nikai no madoguchi ni iku you ni iwareta.
At the reception desk I was told to go to the second-floor counter. neutral
医者に、しばらくお酒は飲まないように言われた。
isha ni, shibaraku osake wa nomanai you ni iwareta.
The doctor told me to stay off alcohol for a while. neutral
- alternant
- alternant
- alternant
- alternant
- contraction
- formal
- negative
- past
- polite
- told to the speaker
Examples
tell someone to do — passing on an instruction rather than quoting it
受付で、二階の窓口に行くように言われた。
uketsuke de, nikai no madoguchi ni iku you ni iwareta.
At the reception desk I was told to go to the second-floor counter. neutral
バイト先の店長に、明日は早めに来るようにって言われた。
baitosaki no tenchou ni, ashita wa hayame ni kuru you ni tte iwareta.
My manager at work told me to come in a bit early tomorrow. casual
担当の者に、至急ご連絡するように伝えておきます。
tantou no mono ni, shikyuu go renraku suru you ni tsutaete okimasu.
I'll pass word to the person in charge to contact you at once. formal
tell someone not to do — the same instruction passed on in the negative
医者に、しばらくお酒は飲まないように言われた。
isha ni, shibaraku osake wa nomanai you ni iwareta.
The doctor told me to stay off alcohol for a while. neutral
先生は子どもたちに、廊下を走らないように何度も言いました。
sensei wa kodomotachi ni, rouka o hashiranai you ni nando mo iimashita.
The teacher told the children again and again not to run in the corridor. neutral
乗客に、通路に並んで歩かないように注意した。
joukyaku ni, tsuuro ni narande arukanai you ni chuui shita.
I cautioned the passengers not to walk side by side in the aisle. neutral
Formation
{V}ように言うattaches to dictionary form{V-nai}ように言うattaches to ない-form
Variant notes
- ように頼む — 頼む makes it a request rather than an order, and the instruction keeps the same ように shape.
- ように伝える — 伝える passes the instruction through a messenger — 折り返し電話するように伝えておきます。
- ようにと — と marks the instruction as quoted material rather than a bare adverbial, which is what written reports and notices use — 全員に九時までに集まるようにと伝えた。
- ように注意する — 注意する makes it a warning rather than a plain instruction, most often about behaviour already seen — 子どもたちに廊下を走らないように注意した。
- ようにって — と relaxes to って in speech and the 言う often trails off — 早く出るようにって。
- ようお願いします — the written request — に drops and 頼む goes humble, giving the standard closing of notices and business mail（お早めにお申し込みくださいますようお願い申し上げます）.
Notes
instruction is always about what is still to be done, however long ago it was
given.
Related patterns
Similar
と言われた hands back the words themselves, so a blunt 出せ stays blunt inside the quotation; ように言われた restates the instruction in the reporter's own words, which strips the original's tone off it and works for orders and polite requests alike.
てくれと頼まれた keeps the asker's own くれ and marks the favor as theirs to receive; ように頼まれた reports only what was asked for, so it carries no benefit direction and reaches instructions no one gains from (静かにするように).
ように言う reports the instruction onward with the head verb spelt out; bare ように IS the instruction, said to the person's face, which is why it takes ね and な where the reported form takes neither.
Lookalikes
The same ように clause, and what decides is whether someone marked with に is being told — 子どもにも分かるように言った names the goal the speaking served, while 子どもに静かにするように言った names what the child was told to do.
The same three pieces in the other order — 言ったように cites what was said and rests the next claim on it, ように言う hands an instruction on, so ように AFTER the verb of saying is a citation and ように BEFORE it is a command; only the command reading lets the verb of saying be someone else's (母に言われた).