meaning of ことを言う


> もし女神というものが存在するのなら、きっと目の前の相手の **ことを言う** のだろう。

It has been translated as:

> If there are such things as goddesses, the woman in front of me certainly
> qualified.

If I try a litteral transaltion it would be :

> "I am pretty sure that you could say that ..." Is this correct ?




This type of ～(こと) **を** 言う means "to refer to ～", "to signify ～". From
明鏡国語辞典:

> ### 言う
>
> ④ 記号（特に、ことば）がある内容を表す。指す。示す。  
>  「この論説は人類が危機に陥っていること **を** ━・っている」

So the sentence means "I'm sure it (=女神) refers to the person in front of me".
I think the original translation is fine. I don't know the subject of 言う...
Practically, the subject is never indicated in a sentence like this.

We also say ～を指して言う, which is stiffer but means the same thing. Examples:

  * 祖母とは親の母親のことを言う。
  * 英語のitは単数のものを、theyは複数のものを指して言う。




This type of ～(こと) **を** 言う means "to refer to ～", "to signify ～". From
明鏡国語辞典:

> ### 言う
>
> ④ 記号（特に、ことば）がある内容を表す。指す。示す。  
>  「この論説は人類が危機に陥っていること **を** ━・っている」

So the sentence means "I'm sure it (=女神) refers to the person in front of me".
I think the original translation is fine. I don't know the subject of 言う...
Practically, the subject is never indicated in a sentence like this.

We also say ～を指して言う, which is stiffer but means the same thing. Examples:

  * 祖母とは親の母親のことを言う。
  * 英語のitは単数のものを、theyは複数のものを指して言う。

