explain so desu
 

Hi,

Can someone explain the difference between so desu as appearnce and hearsay?

I would write out a post attempting to explain, but why bother when I can link you to a better explanation than I could ever come up with:
そうです vs. みたいです (with verbs) - Reviewing the Kanji - Learning Japanese
(This thread also has links to a few other threads explaining things even further)

And should you feel like reading a very vague explanation of it here it is on Tae Kim too:
Similarity or hearsay | Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese

And for your future reference it is spelled そう(sou) not "so"

It's actually different constructions.

Appearance:
雨が降りそうだ。It looks like it's going to rain.
Hearsay:
雨が降るそうだ。I heard it's going to rain.

Now the link given to you by yuriyuri explains it more in depth. I just wanted to point out that they are different constructions, so you should get it into your head ASAP that they are not related.

It's sort of how 市 and 死 sound the same but are different things.

hearsay is an out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted.

Say that again.

Hearsay is exactly as it sounds. You hear something and then you say it. It is a second hand report from a non-eye witness.

Never thought of it that way.

Definitely clears things up for me from a legal perspective.

Are you a fellow lawyer? I mean, you are it Atlanta...

Actually, I'm still a 2L. I just happened to be studying for Evidence when I saw OP's post.

Drop out and get a different job. There is no hope for the legal profession in America. Save your $30K+ you'll spend next year in tuition and housing.

/current lawyer

wow, that bad huh?
i'm kind of committed at this point, but i hear plenty of stories about people who are graduated and have passed the bar, yet ironically they are now working at bars.
i'm more into the criminal side than anything but i was thinking about going into federal law enforcement.
i try to keep up with my japanese so i can move there once obama has bankrupted my country beyond repair, but i doubt my american law degree would do me much good there.