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そうだ

souda

The two そうだ are one thing: "this isn't mine"

The picture You didn't verify it. You picked it off the surface with your eyes, or off the air with your ears, and you set it down exactly as you found it.

Everyday expressions

Where the picture shows up in そうだ

  1. picked up by eye

    雨が降りそうですね。

    ame ga furisō desu ne

    Looks like it's going to rain.

  2. the surface, before the taste

    このケーキ、おいしそう

    kono kēki, oishisō

    That cake looks delicious.

  3. someone else's outside

    課長、今日は忙しそうです。

    kachō, kyō wa isogashisō desu

    The section chief looks busy today.

    You can't see inside another person, so 忙しそう, not 忙しい.

  4. picked up by ear

    田中さん、来月辞めるそうです。

    tanaka-san, raigetsu yameru sō desu

    I hear Tanaka is quitting next month.

    降りそう (surface) attaches to the ます-stem; 降るそう (hearsay) attaches to the plain form. The shape tells you which.

  5. passing it on with its source

    天気予報では明日は雪だそうです。

    tenki yohō de wa ashita wa yuki da sō desu

    The forecast says snow tomorrow.

    After a noun it's だそう — never 雪そう.

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