と聞いている details
write + I hear that
kaku to kiite iru
I hear that; I've been told that — the speaker is the one the report reached
来月から料金が変わると聞いています。
raigetsu kara ryoukin ga kawaru to kiite imasu.
I've been told the fees change from next month. neutral
あの店、もう閉まったって聞いてるけど。
ano mise, mou shimattatte kiiteru kedo.
I heard that shop has already closed down, though. casual
- dictionary form
- past
- negative
- negative + past
- na-adjective
- noun
- alternant
- contraction
- formal
- negative
- past
- polite
Examples
I hear that — the speaker reports information that reached them, and is still going on it
来月から料金が変わると聞いています。
raigetsu kara ryoukin ga kawaru to kiite imasu.
I've been told the fees change from next month. neutral
あの店、もう閉まったって聞いてるけど。
ano mise, mou shimattatte kiiteru kedo.
I heard that shop has already closed down, though. casual
田中さんは今日お休みだと部長から聞いています。
tanaka-san wa kyou o yasumi da to buchou kara kiite imasu.
The manager tells me Tanaka is off today. neutral
日程が変わるとは聞いていません。
nittei ga kawaru to wa kiite imasen.
I have not been told the schedule is changing. neutral
会場は変更になったと伺っております。
kaijou wa henkou ni natta to ukagatte orimasu.
I understand the venue has been changed. formal
Formation
{P}と聞いているattaches to plain form{NA-stem}だと聞いているattaches to na-adjective{N}だと聞いているattaches to noun
Variant notes
- と聞きました — the single occasion of being told rather than a standing state — 日程が変わると先週聞きました。
- って聞いてる — と relaxes to って and ている to てる — 来月から値上げだって聞いてるよ。
- と伺っております — humble 聞く, for saying you were told by someone above you — 先方はご了承くださったと伺っております。
Notes
speaker still holds the information and is acting on it. The source takes
から (部長から聞いています) and may be left out entirely.
Related patterns
Similar
そうだ has no past and no negative of its own; と聞いている inflects freely, so 聞いていません and 聞いていましたか are everyday business lines — and it names the source with から, where そうだ has to reach for によると.
The two look at one report from opposite ends — と言っていた needs a speaker and puts the words in their mouth, while と聞いている puts the speaker on the receiving end and lets the source go unnamed altogether.
とのことです passes a message straight on, usually just after taking it; と聞いている says the speaker has been holding the information for a while and is going on it now, which is why it takes 以前から and とのことです does not.
Lookalikes
と and を split 聞く into two verbs — 話を聞いている is listening to somebody talk, 休みだと聞いている is having been told it is a day off; only と gives the hearsay reading.
The quotative と marks what was said to anyone (危ないと言った), while と聞いている packages it as secondhand knowledge the speaker still holds (危ないと聞いている).