2 · Sentence endings that add a stance
Decided: -기로 하다
a decision or an arrangement
-기로 하다 reports a decision you have made or an arrangement made with someone: “I decided to”, “we agreed to”.
-기로 goes onto any stem without change, and 하다 follows after a space: 가기로 했어요, 먹기로 했어요, 만들기로 했어요. A negative decision puts the negation on the first verb: 안 가기로 했어요 or 가지 않기로 했어요.
The pattern reports a decision. On your own it is “I decided to”: 담배를 끊기로 했어요. With somebody else it is an agreement or arrangement: 친구하고 만나기로 했어요, “I've arranged to meet a friend”. Because the decision has already been taken by the time you report it, 하다 is almost always in the past, even though what was decided lies ahead.
This is where English and Korean part ways. English reports an arrangement with the present continuous — “I'm meeting Jisu tomorrow” — and a learner reaches for 만나고 있어요, which means “I am meeting her right now”. The Korean way is to report the arrangement: 내일 지수 씨를 만나기로 했어요.
하다 can be replaced by a more precise verb: 약속하다, to promise; 결정하다, to decide formally; 정하다, to settle on. In the present, -기로 해요 proposes an agreement: 앞으로 일찍 오기로 해요, “let's agree to come early from now on”.
The form
| after a vowel | 가다 → 가기로 했어요 |
| after a consonant | 먹다 → 먹기로 했어요 |
| negative | 안 가기로 했어요 / 가지 않기로 했어요 |
| with a more precise verb | 가기로 약속했어요 |
| proposing an agreement | 일찍 오기로 해요 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
-기로 goes on any stem without change, and 하다 follows after a space.
올해부터 담배를 끊기로 했어요.I've decided to quit smoking from this year.
It is usually in the past, because the decision has already been made.
어제 회의에서 일정을 바꾸기로 했어요.At yesterday's meeting we decided to change the schedule.
With another person it means an arrangement: “we agreed to”, “we're meeting”.
토요일에 친구하고 영화를 보기로 했어요.I'm seeing a film with a friend on Saturday.
A negative decision has the negation on the first verb.
이번 여름에는 여행을 안 가기로 했어요.We've decided not to go away this summer.
A closer look
Arrangements, plans and decisions
내일 친구를 만날 거예요 states a plan: “I'm going to see a friend tomorrow”. 내일 친구를 만나기로 했어요 says the same and adds that it was agreed — there is a time, a place and somebody waiting. For appointments, the second is what Koreans usually say.
When the decision was taken by others, or is simply on a timetable, Korean uses -기로 되어 있다, usually said -기로 돼 있다: 회의는 세 시에 시작하기로 되어 있어요, “the meeting is supposed to start at three”.
How to spot it
- -기로 했어요
- -기로 약속했어요
- -기로 결정했어요
- -기로 해요
Example sentences
다음 달부터 매일 아침 운동하기로 했어요.I've decided to exercise every morning from next month.
저희는 내년 봄에 결혼하기로 했어요.We've decided to get married next spring.
내일 세 시에 지수 씨를 만나기로 했어요.I'm meeting Jisu at three tomorrow.
이번 휴가 때는 집에서 쉬기로 했어요.I've decided to stay at home and rest this holiday.
우리 이제 말 편하게 하기로 해요.Let's agree to talk casually from now on.
동생하고 청소를 번갈아 하기로 했어요.My younger sibling and I have agreed to take turns cleaning.
8 more example sentences
오늘부터 커피를 하루에 한 잔만 마시기로 했어요.From today I've decided to drink only one cup of coffee a day.
가족들하고 이번 추석에 할머니 댁에 가기로 했어요.We've arranged as a family to go to my grandmother's for Chuseok.
회사에서 새 사무실로 옮기기로 결정했어요.The company has decided to move to a new office.
친구하고 매주 토요일에 같이 테니스를 치기로 했어요.My friend and I have agreed to play tennis together every Saturday.
그 집은 너무 비싸서 사지 않기로 했어요.That house was too expensive, so we decided not to buy it.
다시는 늦지 않기로 약속했어요.I promised never to be late again.
점심은 회사 앞 식당에서 먹기로 해요.Let's have lunch at the restaurant in front of the office.
우리 반은 졸업 여행으로 부산에 가기로 했어요.Our class has decided to go to Busan for our graduation trip.
Worth knowing (1)
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Supposed to: -기로 되어 있다
When the decision belongs to somebody else or to a schedule, 되다 replaces 하다: -기로 되어 있다, “to be supposed to”.
비행기는 저녁 일곱 시에 도착하기로 되어 있어요.The plane is supposed to arrive at seven in the evening.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The quitting lies ahead, so the present looks logical — but what the sentence reports is the decision, and that has already been taken. -기로 해요 in the present means “let's agree to”, which is something else.
The decision is already made, so giro hada is almost always giro haesseoyo.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.