There are 2 variants of そう. First variant, adds a "looks like/ feels like/ seems like" flavour whereas the second variant adds a "heard from" flavour or hearsay if you like (伝聞).
The question is, when appending そう to the past tense of a verb, it is always the second variant (hearsay). For example:
足を折ったそう - (I heard he) broke his leg
How then, would I say it looks like he broke his leg (just a gut feeling)?
The question is, when appending そう to the past tense of a verb, it is always the first variant (feels like). For example:
足を折ったそう - It looks like he broke his leg (maybe because of his limping)
No, it is never that one. The looks one follows an adjective without the i, and the i form of the verb: 美味しそう = looks delicious, 彼なら作りそう = "someone like him should be able to make it". If it's after the past tense it's the hearsay one. "彼が作ったそうです" = "supposedly he made it".
How then, would I say I heard he broke his leg (伝聞 / hearsay)? Would adding a だ at the end do the trick in turning it into hearsay?
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