〜と言います

## What it means Use this pattern to report **exact words** someone said, or to explain what something is **called**. 'He said hello' and 'this is called futon' both use と言います.

## When to use it When quoting speech, put the exact words in **「 」** before と言います (彼は「おはよう」と言いました). When naming something, put the name right before と言います (これは日本語で「布団」と言います). Use と言いました for something already said, and と言いますか to ask what something is called.

## Don't confuse it with Don't confuse this with **〜と思います**, which is about a silent opinion rather than actual spoken words. と言います always refers to something that was really said out loud, or a name that's actually used. A common mistake is forgetting the「 」quotation marks, which makes it hard to tell where the quote begins and ends.