Can I use そうです (inference) in past?

Question

"It seems to me that he did not have the intention of following my advice"

Is it possible to say this sentence in Japanese using そうです, and if so, how? I was aiming to use (よ)うとする constructions, but I encountered the problem that I don't know how to confer the temporal information.

あの人は私のアドバイスに従おうとし...そうです。
しなかった => doesn't work because it would be hears
しなさ => lacks past tense

This is how I wanted to approach it, but I got the feeling that it doesn't work that way at all, because inference with そうです was introduced as a construction that is used for things I perceive through my 5 senses.

I think it's relatively easy to say it a bit differently with almost the same meaning, like:

"あの人は私のアドバイスに従おうとしなかったと思います。"

But I still wonder whether there is a way to express this with a construction that bears the "It seems to me that..." semantics?

On a side note: Does そうだった work at all? To express "It seemed to me that..."?

Answer 1

"It seems to me that he did not have the intention of following my advice."

Is it possible to say this sentence in Japanese using そうです, and if so, how?

No, it is not possible. Using 「そうです」 to talk about a past event will always make it a hearsay statement, not an inference one.

Let us use a simple example sentence to examine this.

「雨{あめ}が降{ふ}るそうです。」 is hearsay. "They say it is going to rain."

「雨が降ったそうです。」 is hearsay. "They say it rained."

「雨が降りそうです。」 is inference. "It looks like it is going to rain."

「雨が降りそうだった。」 is inference. "It looked like it was going to rain."

This last sentence should give you a clue about constructing an inference statement in the past tense, should it not? To form an inference statement that fits your purpose this time, you could use:

従{したが}いそうになかった or　従いそうではなかった or 従わなさそうだった

All of the above are both grammatical and natural-sounding. If your "base" phrase is 「そうです」 this time, then the last of the three 「なさそうだった」 would be the closest.

「あの人は私のアドバイスに従わなさそうだった。」

There are multiple ways to say this as @s-k suggests, but let me repeat that you could not use 「そうです」 this time.

Answer 2

I couldn't use そうです in the sentence but I show some example It has something to do with that.

"It seems to me that he did not have the intention of following my advice"

=> あの人は私のアドバイスに従う気がなさそうだった。

=> あの人は私のアドバイスに従う気がなさそうでした。

=> あの人は私のアドバイスに従うつもりがなさそうだった。

=> あの人は私のアドバイスに従うつもりがなさそうでした。

These sentences have same meaning. "思います" is also okay though I prefer above expression.

Answer 3

...し+そうです　=　...する+ようです/らしい

This would be, "It seems it probably will do ..."

Past tense: "It seems it probably would do ..."

...した+そうです ... した+ようです/らしい

Present/future negative form: "It seems it won't probably do ..."

...しなさ+そうです ...しない+ようです/らしい

Past Negative tense: "It seems it didn't probably do ..."

...しなさ+そうでした ...しない+ようでした

"It seems to me that he did not have the intention of following my advice"

彼は私のアドバイスに従わなさそうでした　(従わないようでした)