说是好像见过他们
“said they might have seen them.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
有六七个市民
“After canvassing, six or seven citizens”
说是好像见过 他们
“said they might have seen them.”
要么就是
“Others were completely uncertain.”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
Chinese speakers frequently use markers like '说是' and '好像' to distance themselves from total commitment to the accuracy of third-party statements.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
allegedly; it is said that
Commonly used in spoken Chinese to introduce hearsay, reports, or claims made by others.
seem to have seen
A natural way to express a tentative memory or unconfirmed visual identification.