connective N1 uncommon casualwritten
〜に言わせれば — if you ask ~
〜に言わせれば ・ にいわせれば
Builds on させる
Meaning
- if you ask ~ / in ~'s opinion / as ~ would put it — presents the view the named person would voice, often with a note of conviction or challenge
Key sentence
私に言わせれば、それはただの言い訳だ。
If you ask me, that's just an excuse.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (a person / group with an opinion) | N + に言わせれば（causative 言わせる + ば） | 専門家に言わせれば |
Variants
〜に言わせると — Interchangeable; slightly more neutral in tone.
Examples
専門家に言わせれば、この設計には大きな欠陥があるそうだ。
According to the experts, this design has a major flaw.
父に言わせれば、今の若者は忍耐が足りないらしい。
In my father's words, young people today lack patience.
When you can't use it
- The noun must be a person or group able to hold an opinion; the speaker is voicing THAT person's view, not a neutral fact. With 私に言わせれば the speaker asserts their own opinion with extra force.
Easily confused with
〜にしてみれば に言わせれば voices the OPINION the person would state; にしてみれば imagines how the situation FEELS to them. Spoken view vs felt standpoint. 〜によると によると cites a neutral information source ('according to ~'); に言わせれば foregrounds the person's subjective, often opinionated take, and can carry a challenging or dismissive edge.
See 〜に言わせれば in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜に言わせれば the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.