How to talk about the news in Japanese
ニュースで見たんですけど、来月から電気代が上がるらしいですね。
nyūsu de mita n desu kedo, raigetsu kara denkidai ga agaru rashii desu ne.
“I saw it on the news: it seems electricity prices go up next month.”
When: Summarising a story you read but cannot confirm
The moment
You are having a morning coffee with a colleague near the office in Shinjuku and the TV news is running behind the counter. You want to sum up the story, ask what she makes of it, and give your own view without sounding too certain.
B1 · Unit 4 · Culture & conversation
The lines
Reporting it as hearsay
Lead in with 「ニュースで見たんですけど」 and close with 「〜らしいですね」. The らしい tells your listener this is what you heard, not something you are vouching for.
ニュースで見たんですけど、来月から電気代が上がるらしいですね。
nyūsu de mita n desu kedo, raigetsu kara denkidai ga agaru rashii desu ne.
“I saw it on the news: it seems electricity prices go up next month.”
When to use it: Summarising a story you read but cannot confirm
What you’ll hear back: ああ、私もそのニュース見ました。 ā, watashi mo sono nyūsu mimashita. (Ah, I saw that news too.)
Asking for their take
Once you have summarised, hand the topic over with 「あのニュース、どう思いますか。」 It asks for an opinion, not for facts, so the other person can answer as lightly as they like.
あのニュース、どう思いますか。
ano nyūsu, dō omoimasu ka.
“What do you think about that news?”
When to use it: Right after you finish summarising the story
What you’ll hear back: うーん、難しい問題ですね。 ūn, muzukashii mondai desu ne. (Hmm, it's a difficult issue, isn't it.)
Words for this scene
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 個人的には | kojinteki ni wa | Personally / for my part |
個人的には、そんなに大きな問題じゃないと思います。 Personally, I don't think it's such a big deal. Tip: Marks the view as yours alone, so nobody has to argue. | ||
| 詳しくは知らないんですけど | kuwashiku wa shiranai n desu kedo | I don't know the details, but |
詳しくは知らないんですけど、かなり揉めているみたいですね。 I don't know the details, but it sounds like there's quite a fuss. Tip: Polite way to duck a topic you would rather not judge. | ||
| 話題になっていますね | wadai ni natte imasu ne | People are talking about it a lot |
あの事件、最近よく話題になっていますね。 That incident has been coming up a lot lately, hasn't it. Tip: Says a story is big without revealing which side you're on. | ||
Your objective
Sum up the story in a sentence or two, ask what they think, and give your own view without sounding too sure.
- a summary of the story
- asking their view
- your own careful view
Lines that get it done
- ニュースで見たんですけど、来月から電気代が上がるらしいですね。
- あのニュース、どう思いますか。
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. You read online that electricity prices go up next month, but nothing is confirmed. How do you report it?
- ニュースで見たんですけど、来月から電気代が上がるらしいですね。
- 来月から電気代が上がります。
- 来月から電気代を上げましょう。
- 来月から電気代が上がってほしいです。
Show the answer
ニュースで見たんですけど、来月から電気代が上がるらしいですね。
らしいですね passes on what you heard without claiming it as confirmed fact.
2. Your colleague has finished summarising a story and you want her opinion. What do you ask?
- あのニュース、どう思いますか。
- あのニュース、どうしますか。
- あのニュース、知っていますか。
- あのニュース、いかがですか。
Show the answer
あのニュース、どう思いますか。
どう思いますか asks what someone thinks; どうしますか asks what they are going to do about it.
3. You want to offer your opinion but leave room to be wrong. What do you say?
- 個人的には、あまり変わらないと思います。
- 絶対に変わりません。
- 変わらないに決まっています。
- 変わらないでしょう。みんなそう言っていますよ。
Show the answer
個人的には、あまり変わらないと思います。
個人的には frames it as just your view, which keeps the conversation relaxed.