to say about / repeat
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to say about someone
To claim about a person that they have a certain, often negative, quality or a certain behavior. This claim is often based on rumors.
Man sagt ihm nach, dass er sehr geizig sei.
People say about him that he is very stingy.
to repeat
To repeat words or sentences that someone else has said first. This often happens when learning languages or when children are learning to speak.
Der Papagei kann ganze Sätze nachsagen.
The parrot can repeat whole sentences.
'Nachsagen' is a separable verb. The prefix 'nach-' comes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Man sagt ihr eine große Begabung nach.
People attribute great talent to her.
The two meanings can be distinguished well by the sentence structure. If a person is in the dative, e.g. 'ihm' (to him), 'der Kollegin' (to the colleague), it is about a rumor. If this element is missing, it usually means repeating words.
Man sagt dem neuen Chef nach, er sei sehr streng. (Gerücht)
People say about the new boss that he is very strict. (rumor)
When spreading a rumor about a person, that person is always in the dative. The quality or behavior being claimed is in the accusative or in a 'dass' clause.
Man sagt ihm (Dativ) eine gewisse Sturheit (Akkusativ) nach.
People attribute a certain stubbornness to him (dative).
In the meaning 'wiederholen' (to repeat), the verb is often used in the context of learning. Typical objects are 'Wörter' (words), 'Sätze' (sentences), or 'Laute' (sounds).
Im Sprachkurs müssen wir die neuen Vokabeln nachsagen.
In the language course, we have to repeat the new vocabulary words.
to impute / shelter / subordinate
Both words can attribute a negative quality or behavior to a person. „Unterstellen“ is more about the speaker’s critical accusation, while „nachsagen“ often refers to a claim passed on as a rumor or generally held opinion. Choose the word based on the source and spread of the statement.
Im Dorf sagt man ihr nach, dass sie sehr geizig sei.
People in the village say that she is very stingy.
Ich unterstelle ihm nicht, dass er unehrlich ist, nur weil er sich geirrt hat.
I’m not implying that he is dishonest just because he made a mistake.
