GRAMMAR DETAIL
〜ように言う
Used to convey a command or request indirectly.
Examples
先生は学生に明日までに作文を出すように言った。
The teacher told the students to submit their essays by tomorrow.
Words used
母は私に部屋をきれいにするように言った。
My mother told me to clean my room.
Words used
医者は父に毎日歩くように言いました。
The doctor told my father to walk every day.
Words used
Study notes
1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning
- Structure: After a dictionary-form or nai-form verb,
ように言うindirectly reports telling someone to do or not do something. - Basic usage:
医者は父に毎日歩くように言いました。means that the doctor instructed the speaker's father to walk every day.
2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions
- Who speaks and who acts
- In
先生は学生に読むように言った, the teacher speaks and the students are instructed to read. In this example, the recipient marked withにis the performer of the instructed action.
- In
- A statement versus an instruction
来ると言ったreports a statement about coming, while来るように言ったreports an instruction to come. A negative instruction putsないbeforeように, as in来ないように言った.