って (tte) Meaning Japanese Grammar - It Seems That
Sandro Maglione
4 min reading time
The particle って (~tte) is used in Japanese to quote what was said by someone else.
って is the more colloquial form of the particle と.
って is very useful in indirect speech, that is, in all those situations where you want to quote what someone said.
In this post we learn more about the meaning of って, how it is formed, and when って is used through real example sentences.
How って is formed
って is formed by the Hiragana character て preceded by っ (small つ).
って is added after a quote and before the verb:
How and when to use って
って is often used to form indirect speech, specifically when we directly quote what someone said:
トムは「今日休む」って。
Toma said: 'Today I rest'.
We can see from the example how って is added after the brackets 「...」. って is used to indicate that we are repeating what someone said.
って at the end of the sentence: I heard that...
って can often be found at the end of a sentence. In these cases って expresses the fact that what we said is a quote from someone else.
A possible translation is I heard that.., as って indicates that I'm quoting what someone said.
For this reason, adding って at the end adds a sense of uncertainty: it seems that, I heard that, they say that.
今日、宿題ないんだって。
I heard there is no homework today.
Let's see an example from the video game Final Fantasy VII: Remake:
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Support us to unlockってば: reiterate what was said above
って is also used at the end of the sentence to express a sense of frustration in repeating what was previously said.
本当だって！
I said it's true!
This sentence indicates a strong emotion in reaffirming that what we said previously is true. This emotion is often found in the tone of voice used, which will be very direct and strong.
A particular expression in these cases consists of adding ば after って:
You can also use ったら instead of ってば
This form emphasizes even more the sense of frustration in having to repeat what was said:
忙しいってば！
I told you I'm busy!
Let's see another example from the video game Final Fantasy VII: Remake:
Complete access to all the material published in the past and published new every week. Many more audio resources: listen to original audio sentences and dialogues with captions and explanations. Full dialogues to explain every grammar, word, or kanji in the details in a real Japanese context. All the material comes from original Japanese sources and websites, we do all the work to select the best material. We publish new articles, grammars, dialogues, audio, and many updates every week. By joining GokuGoku you will have complete access to all material published today and in the future.
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Support us to unlockって instead of the particle は
って can also be used in place of the particle は to indicate the topic of the sentence. Again, って makes the sentence more colloquial:
って is more often used in spoken language, as it is quick and easy to pronounce.
このパスタって美味しいよね。
This pasta is delicious!.
明日って、雨が降るんだって。
Speaking of tomorrow, they say it will rain.
Examples of って
明日って何曜日なの？
What day is it tomorrow?
わかったってば！
I said I understood!
