If you ask them: 〜に言わせると
N (person) + に言わせると／に言わせれば／に言わせたら
N + に言わせると／に言わせれば: reporting someone's strong opinion (“according to him”). 私に言わせれば: “if you ask me”. For neutral information, it's によると.
In short
〜に言わせると reports someone's strong opinion, often at odds with the general view: “according to him”, “if you let him have his say”. With 私, it announces your own view: 私に言わせれば, “if you ask me”. It isn't a neutral source of information; it's a personal point of view.
- 父に言わせれば、最近の若者は苦労を知らない。ちちにいわせれば、さいきんのわかものはくろうをしらない。According to my father, young people today don't know what hardship is.
- 名古屋の人に言わせると、東京のみそ汁は物足りないらしい。なごやのひとにいわせると、とうきょうのみそしるはものたりないらしい。According to people from Nagoya, Tokyo miso soup lacks punch.
- 私に言わせれば、あの映画は長すぎる。わたしにいわせれば、あのえいがはながすぎる。If you ask me, that film is too long.
The basics
Grammatically, 言わせる is the causative of 言う: “let someone say”. 〜に言わせると is “if you let X speak”. You hand the floor to someone with a view all of their own, often critical or contrarian.
So what follows is a judgement, not a fact: 甘い, 長すぎる, 物足りない, 〜べきだ. When reporting someone else's view, you readily add らしい, そうだ or という.
According to my father, young people today are too soft.
- noun
- grammatical form
- adjective
- 祖母に言わせると、昔の夏はもっと涼しかったらしい。そぼにいわせると、むかしのなつはもっとすずしかったらしい。According to my grandmother, summers used to be cooler.
How to form it
Name of a person (or group) + に言わせると, に言わせれば or に言わせたら: all three are equivalent, with に言わせれば the most common.
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| N に言わせると | reporting someone's view | 専門家に言わせると |
| N に言わせれば | same, very common | 父に言わせれば |
| 私に言わせれば | giving your own strong view | 私に言わせれば、長すぎる |
- 専門家に言わせると、この地震は予想できたという。せんもんかにいわせると、このじしんはよそうできたという。According to experts, this earthquake could have been predicted.
- 私に言わせれば、あの店は値段のわりにおいしくない。わたしにいわせれば、あのみせはねだんのわりにおいしくない。If you ask me, that restaurant isn't good for the price.
に言わせると, によると, にしたら
によると (N4) cites a source of information: the weather forecast, a newspaper, a rumour. It's neutral and factual. に言わせると hands the floor to a person for their opinion. にしたら (the “from the point of view of” point) imagines someone's feelings, without them having said anything.
| Construction | What's reported | Example |
|---|---|---|
| N によると | information, a source | 天気予報によると雨だ |
| N に言わせると | someone's strong opinion | 父に言わせれば甘い |
| N にしたら | what they probably feel (imagined) | 子どもにしたらつまらない |
- 天気予報によると、明日は雨だそうだ。てんきよほうによると、あしたはあめだそうだ。According to the weather forecast, it'll rain tomorrow. (source of information)
- 子どもにしたら、この話はつまらないだろう。こどもにしたら、このはなしはつまらないだろう。For a child, this story is probably boring. (imagined feeling)
Common mistakes
- Translating it as an ordinary causative (“make my father say”): here it's “according to my father”.
- Using it with an objective source (×新聞に言わせると, ×天気予報に言わせると): for information, it's によると.
- Forgetting that it's a personal opinion: what follows is a judgement, not a verifiable fact.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the JR Chūō Line (Nature and the seasons) of the Nagoya lines.