This pattern is used to relay information you've heard from someone else, but with a sense of uncertainty or lack of direct knowledge. It's like saying 'I heard that...' or 'Apparently...' in English. The で after とか is optional and often omitted in casual speech, but including it makes the sentence sound a bit more assertive, like 'According to what I heard...'. It's common in everyday conversation when gossiping, sharing rumors, or passing along news you're not entirely sure about.

The pattern attaches to the plain form of verbs, adjectives, or nouns (with だ). For example, 行くとか, 行ったとか, 高いとか, 静かだとか, 学生だとか. The とか can be followed by 聞いた (I heard) or 言ってた (was saying), but it's also fine to end the sentence with とか alone, implying the source.

Be aware that this is different from quoting directly with と. With と, you're reporting exactly what was said, but with とか, you're adding a layer of uncertainty. Also, unlike そうだ (which also means 'I heard'), とか doesn't require the information to be recent or from a specific source.