At a glance
～とのことだ passes on information you heard from a specific person or source: "I was told that", "they said that". It is formal and common in business, news and messages.
[Plain form] + とのことだ / とのことです
田中さんは今日休むとのことです。 I was told that Tanaka is off today.
How to form it
とのことだ attaches to the plain form of the reported clause:
| Attaches to | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain) | 行く / 行かない / 行ったとのことだ | They said (someone) will go / won't go / went |
| い-adjective | 忙しいとのことだ | They said it's busy |
| な-adjective + だ | 静かだとのことだ | They said it's quiet |
| Noun + だ | 雨だとのことだ / 雨とのことだ | They said it will rain |
Register: とのことだ is formal written style. とのことです is polite. とのことでした is used when passing on a message you received earlier.