Grammar
-(ㄴ/는)다는 + N
Meaning
Advanced-(n/neun)daneun + N
The quotative -(ㄴ/는)다고 하는 contracts to -(ㄴ/는)다는 and turns a whole statement into a modifier of an abstract noun such as 해석, 지적, 전망 or 방침. Verbs take -ㄴ다는/는다는, adjectives and 있다/없다 take -다는, and nouns take -(이)라는. The article stacks two of them: 거쳐야 한다는 해석 and 조정하기 어렵다는 지적.
Form
Verb stems take -ㄴ다는 after a vowel or ㄹ (오르다 → 오른다는, 살다 → 산다는) and -는다는 after a consonant (먹다 → 먹는다는, 짓다 → 짓는다는). Adjectives and 있다/없다 take -다는 (복잡하다 → 복잡하다는, 어렵다 → 어렵다는), and nouns take -(이)라는 (학생이라는, 계획이라는). A past event uses -았/었다는 (끝나다 → 끝났다는). Whatever the shape, a noun has to follow, because the whole thing is a modifier and not a sentence ending — most often an abstract noun such as 지적, 해석, 전망, 계획, 소식 or 방침.
Examples
제도가 너무 복잡하다는 지적이 여러 차례 나왔습니다.
The criticism that the system is too complicated has been raised several times.
다음 달에 가격이 오른다는 소식을 들었습니다.
I heard the news that prices will go up next month.
회사는 공장을 새로 짓는다는 계획을 발표했습니다.
The company announced a plan to build a new factory.
그가 지금 외국에서 산다는 이야기를 들었습니다.
I heard the story that he now lives abroad.
Common mistakes & nuance
It is a contraction of -(ㄴ/는)다고 하는, and the full form is still correct — the short one is simply what news and formal writing use. The shape that trips learners up is the verb-versus-adjective split: -는다는 belongs to verbs and -다는 to adjectives, so 복잡한다는 지적 is wrong and 복잡하다는 지적 is right. Do not confuse it with -(ㄴ/는)다면, which is a condition ('if'), not a quote.
Similar grammar
- -다고 말하다/밝히다
-다고 말하다/밝히다 closes the sentence with a verb of saying and names who spoke. -(ㄴ/는)다는 + N keeps the same quoted content but packs it into a noun phrase, so the speaker can be left out entirely: 어렵다는 지적이 나왔습니다 reports the criticism without saying whose it is.