「か」 or 「と」 as a subordinate clause?


When making a statement like:

> I thought I had gone to the cinema.

Do you say:

> 映画館{えいがかん}に行った{いった}と思いました{おもいました}。

or:

> 映画館{えいがかん}に行った{いった}か思いました{おもいました}。

And how does it work with other verbs that are not like thinking, considering,
saying? Which one am I supposed to use then?




To say "think that (some sentence here)", 思う always takes the quotative
particle, と. So 映画館に行ったか思いました is ungrammatical.

The following two sentences are grammatical:

>   * 映画館に行ったと思いました。  
>  I thought (someone) went to the cinema.
>   * 映画館に行ったかと思いました。  
>  I thought (someone) perhaps went to the cinema. / I wondered if (someone)
> went to the cinema.
>

The か in the latter sentence is a question marker, which in this case
introduces some uncertainty to the sentence.




To say "think that (some sentence here)", 思う always takes the quotative
particle, と. So 映画館に行ったか思いました is ungrammatical.

The following two sentences are grammatical:

>   * 映画館に行ったと思いました。  
>  I thought (someone) went to the cinema.
>   * 映画館に行ったかと思いました。  
>  I thought (someone) perhaps went to the cinema. / I wondered if (someone)
> went to the cinema.
>

The か in the latter sentence is a question marker, which in this case
introduces some uncertainty to the sentence.

