친구를 만나기로 했어요Arrangements and Commitments
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Announce a firm arrangement or decision using -기로 했어요.
- State an intention using -(으)려고 해요, and distinguish it from a firm arrangement.
- Distinguish -기로 했어요, -(으)려고 해요, and the future/intention pattern -(으)ㄹ 거예요 from Chapter 11.
- Use -고 있다 productively for a limited set of high-frequency ongoing actions, moving beyond the recognition-only exposure from earlier chapters.
- Talk about turning wishes and plans from Chapter 17 into concrete arrangements.
- Maintain accurate Hangeul, spacing, particles, and everyday polite speech level while discussing arrangements and commitments.
Communication Scenario
라일라 and 수진 talked in Chapter 17 about wanting to travel to 제주도 together. A few days later, 수진 calls 라일라 to turn that wish into a real plan: she has already decided on dates and wants to confirm details. As they talk, 라일라 mentions that she is also in the middle of studying for a Korean quiz, so some of her free time this week is already spoken for.
- This chapter introduces -기로 했어요 for firm arrangements and -(으)려고 해요 for stated intentions.
- This chapter also introduces the first productive use of -고 있다, which learners have encountered receptively since Chapter 11.
- Every task below continues to draw on identity, routines, food, location, shopping, plans, directions, ability, health, past events, and experience/wish language from Chapters 1–17.
Core Vocabulary
The following items are productive vocabulary for this chapter. They support talking about arrangements, decisions, and ongoing actions. Vocabulary from Chapters 1–17 remains active and is recycled throughout this chapter.
약속과 결정 — Arrangements and decisions
| Korean | Meaning | Category / Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| 약속 | appointment, promise, arrangement | noun; 약속을 하다 = "to make an arrangement" |
| 약속을 지키다 | to keep an appointment/promise | verb phrase |
| 결정하다 | to decide | 하다 verb |
| 정하다 | to fix, to set (a date, a place) | action verb; 날짜를 정하다 = "to set a date" |
| 취소하다 | to cancel | 하다 verb; Sino-Korean |
| 미루다 | to postpone | action verb |
| 날짜 | date (calendar) | noun; recycled from Ch. 4, now productive with 정하다 |
| 시험 | test, exam | noun; 시험을 보다 = "to take a test" |
| 준비하다 | to prepare | 하다 verb |
| 확인하다 | to confirm, to check | 하다 verb |
| 바쁘다 | to be busy | descriptive verb; 으 deletion, reviewed from Ch. 6 |
| 시간이 나다 | to have free time available | verb phrase |
계획 관련 표현 — Plan-related expressions
| Korean | Meaning | Category / Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| 이미 | already | adverb |
| 아직 안 | not yet | adverb phrase; recycled 아직 from Ch. 17 |
| 다시 | again | adverb |
| 그때 | at that time, then | adverb; time reference |
| 연락하다 | to contact, to get in touch | 하다 verb; Sino-Korean |
| 문자를 보내다 | to send a text message | verb phrase; 문자 recycled from digital-input focus |
Total productive load for this chapter: approximately 18 items. Chapters 1–17 vocabulary remains active and assessable.
받아들이는 어휘 — Receptive vocabulary
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 일정 | schedule, itinerary |
| 숙소 | lodging, accommodation |
Receptive items support comprehension in this chapter's dialogue and reading passage. They are not assessed for independent production.
Pronunciation Focus
This chapter's pronunciation focus is the batchim ㄱ of 약속 and 기로 carrying smoothly into the following vowel, and the contrast between the very similar-sounding endings -려고 해요 and -기로 했어요.
These two endings look and sound similar to beginning learners, but they are pronounced with different rhythm. 기로 했어요 has four syllables ending in the past-tense 했어요, spoken with a falling, settled intonation appropriate to reporting a finished decision. 려고 해요 has three syllables ending in the present-tense 해요, spoken with a slightly lighter, more open intonation appropriate to describing an ongoing intention. Listening for the tense of the final syllable — 했어요 versus 해요 — is the fastest way to tell them apart while listening.
Read the following aloud, paying attention to the batchim ㄱ liaison and to the tense contrast at the end of each phrase.
만나기로 했어요 · 가기로 했어요 · 가려고 해요 · 준비하려고 해요 · 공부하고 있어요
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
1. Announcing a firm arrangement with -기로 했어요
Purpose: to report a decision or arrangement that has already been made, usually together with someone else or as a firm personal commitment.
-기로 하다 attaches directly to the dictionary-form stem, with no vowel-harmony change, and is almost always used in the past tense -기로 했어요 because the decision itself is a completed event, even though the arranged action is still in the future.
| Dictionary form | Pattern | Arrangement form |
|---|---|---|
| 만나다 | -기로 했어요 | 만나기로 했어요 |
| 가다 | -기로 했어요 | 가기로 했어요 |
| 정하다 | -기로 했어요 | 정하기로 했어요 |
- 이번 방학에 제주도에 가기로 했어요.We've decided to go to Jeju Island this vacation.
- 토요일에 친구를 만나기로 했어요.I've arranged to meet a friend on Saturday.
- 날짜를 다시 정하기로 했어요.We've decided to set the date again.
Compare three patterns that all point toward the future. 제주도에 갈 거예요. (Chapter 11 future/intention) simply states what will happen, without emphasizing that a firm decision was made. 제주도에 가고 싶어요. (Chapter 17 wish) expresses a desire, with no commitment implied. 제주도에 가기로 했어요. reports that a decision or arrangement — often with another person — has already been settled. Use -기로 했어요 when you want to communicate that the matter is decided, not merely hoped for or expected.
2. Stating an intention with -(으)려고 해요
Purpose: to say what you are planning or intending to do, as a personal intention that has not necessarily been arranged with anyone else and is not yet finalized.
-(으)려고 해요 attaches to the dictionary-form stem following the same batchim-based pattern as -(으)ㄹ 거예요 and -(으)세요: -려고 해요 after a vowel-final stem, -으려고 해요 after a consonant-final stem.
| Stem type | Pattern | Dictionary form | Intention form |
|---|---|---|---|
| vowel-final | -려고 해요 | 가다 | 가려고 해요 |
| consonant-final | -으려고 해요 | 준비하다 → 준비하다 (하다 verb) | 준비하려고 해요 |
| consonant-final | -으려고 해요 | 읽다 | 읽으려고 해요 |
- 이번 주말에 여행을 준비하려고 해요.I'm planning to prepare for the trip this weekend.
- 저는 오늘 일찍 자려고 해요.I'm planning to go to bed early today.
- 주말에 시험 공부를 하려고 해요. 그런데 아직 확실하지 않아요.I'm planning to study for the exam this weekend. But it's not certain yet.intention, not a firm arrangement
3. A first productive step with -고 있다
Purpose: to describe an action that is currently in progress, moving from recognition (Chapters 11–17) to limited independent production in this chapter.
-고 있다 attaches directly to the dictionary-form stem, with no vowel-harmony change, and behaves like a predicate that itself takes the polite present ending: -고 있어요.
- 저는 지금 한국어를 공부하고 있어요.I am studying Korean right now.
- 라일라 씨는 시험을 준비하고 있어요.Layla is preparing for a test.
- 지금 여행을 준비하고 있어요. 그래서 이번 주는 좀 바빠요.I'm preparing for a trip right now. So I'm a little busy this week.
This chapter's productive use of -고 있다 is limited to first-person and third-person statements about ongoing actions with the small set of action verbs already active in this chapter and in Chapters 1–17, such as 공부하다, 준비하다, and 기다리다 (recycled from Ch. 8). Broader productive control of -고 있다 across all action verbs, and its use for repeated or habitual states, is developed further in Volume II.
Practice — Forming arrangement, intention, and ongoing-action statements
- Change each verb into the arrangement pattern: 토요일에 만나다 / 날짜를 정하다 / 같이 여행을 가다.
- Change each verb into the intention pattern: 일찍 일어나다 / 시험을 준비하다 / 여권을 확인하다.
- Write one true sentence using -고 있어요 to describe something you are doing this week.
- Write one sentence that moves from intention to arrangement, using 그래서, as in the Language Building Block above.
Model Dialogue
Setting: A few days after Chapter 17, 수진 calls 라일라 on the phone about the Jeju Island trip.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- Why is 라일라 busy before Friday?
- What day do 라일라 and 수진 decide to go to Jeju Island?
- What is 라일라 planning to check today?
- Find one sentence with -기로 하다/했다, one with -(으)려고 하다, and one with -고 있다.
Guided Practice
Complete each item using the arrangement pattern, the intention pattern, or -고 있어요 as indicated.
- 저는 친구하고 토요일에 ______ (만나다, 약속).
- 오늘 오후에 ______ (여권을 확인하다, 의도).
- 지금 시험을 ______ (준비하다, 진행 중).
- Combine into one sentence using 그래서: 여행을 가려고 했어요. + 수진 씨하고 같이 가기로 했어요.
- Answer truthfully: 지금 무엇을 하고 있어요?
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a language partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud. Listen twice without reading, then complete the tasks below.
수진의 이번 주 계획
저는 요즘 많이 바빠요. 지금 제주도 여행을 준비하고 있어요. 라일라 씨하고 토요일에 가기로 했어요. 그래서 오늘 비행기 표를 확인하려고 해요. 그리고 숙소도 정하려고 해요. 토요일 아침에 공항에서 만나기로 했어요. 정말 기대돼요!
듣기 과제 — Listening task: Listen and answer in English.
| 질문 | 답 |
|---|---|
| What is 수진 currently preparing for? | ______ |
| What has 수진 decided to do today (two things)? | ______ |
| Where and when will 수진 and 라일라 meet? | ______ |
받아쓰기 — Dictation: Your partner or instructor reads two sentences from the passage above, once each at natural speed. Write what you hear in Hangeul, then check your spacing and pattern accuracy.
- (a sentence with -기로 했어요)
- (a sentence with -고 있어요)
Reading Practice
Below is a short text message that 라일라 sent to 수진 to confirm plans. Read it and answer the questions below.
라일라의 문자 메시지
수진 씨, 저 여권 확인했어요. 문제 없어요! 지금 가방을 준비하고 있어요. 토요일 아침 8시에 공항에서 만나기로 했지요? 저는 그때까지 시험 공부를 계속하려고 해요. 시험이 끝나면 완전히 여행 준비만 하려고 해요. 토요일에 봐요!
This message uses a natural mix of everyday polite forms with the confirming tag question -지요? ("right?"), presented here receptively for reading recognition only. This volume's productive speech level remains everyday polite -아요/어요.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- What has 라일라 already confirmed, and what is she doing right now?
- What time and place did they arrange to meet?
- What does 라일라 plan to do until the exam is over?
- Identify one instance of -기로 하다 and one instance of -(으)려고 하다 in the message.
Writing Workshop
This chapter's writing task is a short paragraph, 이번 주 계획과 약속 ("My Plans and Arrangements This Week"), combining an intention, a firm arrangement, and an ongoing action.
- State one thing you are currently doing. Use -고 있어요.
- State one personal intention. Use -(으)려고 해요.
- State one firm arrangement with another person. Use -기로 했어요.
- Connect two of the ideas. Use 그래서 or 그런데 to link an intention to an arrangement, or a reason to a busy schedule.
- Close with a time expression. Use a day, date, or time word from Chapters 4 and 18 to say when the arrangement will happen.
- Revise. Check your draft against the editing checklist below.
체크리스트 — Editing checklist:
- Every sentence uses only Hangeul and only systems activated through Chapter 18.
- -기로 했어요 and -(으)려고 해요 are not confused with each other.
- At least one sentence uses -고 있어요 correctly with an activated action verb.
- Speech level is consistent everyday polite throughout.
- Spacing between nouns, particles, and predicates follows the patterns modeled in Chapters 1–17.
Speaking Practice
통제 연습 — Controlled practice: 뭐 하기로 했어요?
Working with a partner or alone, take turns asking and answering 이번 주말에 뭐 하기로 했어요? using at least three different activities from this chapter's vocabulary or earlier chapters.
의사소통 과제 — Communicative task: 약속 정하기
Work with a partner. Decide together on a day, time, and place to meet for an activity of your choice. Use at least one instance each of -(으)려고 해요 and -기로 했어요, and describe one thing each of you is currently doing to get ready using -고 있어요.
혼자 하는 연습 — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing your plans for this week: one thing you are currently doing, one intention, and one firm arrangement, in four to six connected sentences.
Culture and Communication
In South Korea, it is common to confirm a spoken arrangement with a short follow-up text message, even between close friends, to make sure the time, date, and place are clear. A message like 토요일 아침 8시에 공항에서 만나기로 했지요? serves both as a reminder and as a polite way of checking that both people remember the same plan.
Learners sometimes expect -기로 해요 without the past-tense -았/었-, since the arranged event itself is in the future. However, the decision to make the arrangement is what the ending reports, and that decision has already happened by the time you are talking about it. This is why -기로 했어요, not -기로 해요, is the standard everyday form for reporting an arrangement.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: 수진 씨하고 토요일에 가려고 해요. when describing an arrangement both people have already confirmed together.
Correction: 수진 씨하고 토요일에 가기로 했어요. — once both people have agreed and the plan is settled, use -기로 했어요. Reserve -(으)려고 해요 for a personal intention that is not yet a confirmed arrangement.
Error: 내일 만나기로 해요.
Correction: 내일 만나기로 했어요. — the decision itself is a completed event, so -기로 하다 is almost always used in the past tense, even though the arranged event is in the future.
Error: 공부해요고 있어요.
Correction: 공부하고 있어요. — like -고 싶어요 in Chapter 17, -고 있다 attaches directly to the plain dictionary-form stem, never to the polite present form.
Chapter Review
Section A — 어휘 (Vocabulary)
1. List three vocabulary items related to arrangements and decisions introduced in this chapter.
Section B — 문법 (Grammar)
1. Change these verbs into the arrangement pattern: 토요일에 만나다 / 날짜를 정하다.
2. Correct the errors:
- 내일 만나기로 해요.
- 공부해요고 있어요.
Section C — 독해 이해 (Reading Comprehension)
1. According to 라일라's text message, what has she already confirmed, and what does she plan to do until her exam is finished?
Section D — 쓰기 (Writing)
1. Write a "My Plans and Arrangements This Week" paragraph following the Writing Workshop steps and checklist.
Section E — 말하기 (Speaking)
1. With a partner, complete the 약속 정하기 communicative task from the Speaking Practice section without notes.
누적 복습 — Cumulative review
This chapter recycles identity, family, dates, food, routines, location, shopping, plans, directions, ability/requests, health, past events, and experience/wish language from Chapters 1 through 17, and introduces the arrangement pattern, the intention pattern, and the first productive use of -고 있다 as its new productive systems. If any earlier item felt uncertain while completing this chapter, return to its source chapter before continuing to Chapter 19.
Practical Performance Task
수행 과제
계획 확정하기 — Confirming a Plan
You will describe an ongoing preparation, a personal intention, and a firm arrangement in speech and in writing, combined with vocabulary and structures from Chapters 1–17.
- Written: Write your "My Plans and Arrangements This Week" paragraph from the Writing Workshop, including at least one -고 있어요 statement, one -(으)려고 해요 statement, and one -기로 했어요 statement.
- Spoken: With a partner or recorded alone, act out a short phone call like the Model Dialogue, moving from a personal intention to a confirmed arrangement.
- Reflection: Write one English sentence identifying which part of this chapter — distinguishing -기로 했어요 from -(으)려고 해요, using -고 있어요 with the correct stem, or the past-tense pattern of -기로 하다 — still feels least automatic, and one specific thing you will review before Chapter 19.
| Criterion | What is evaluated |
|---|---|
| Arrangement-pattern accuracy | Correct -기로 했어요 formation and consistent past-tense use |
| Intention-pattern accuracy | Correct -(으)려고 해요 formation, distinguished from firm arrangements |
| Ongoing-action accuracy | Correct -고 있어요 formation attached to the plain stem |
| Vocabulary accuracy | Appropriate use of this chapter's and earlier chapters' vocabulary |
| Cohesion | Intentions and arrangements connected logically with 그래서 or 그런데 |
| Hangeul and spacing accuracy | Accurate spelling and level-appropriate spacing throughout |
| Scope discipline | No structures used beyond Chapters 1–18 |
Answer Key
Grammar Review Practice
1. 토요일에 만나기로 했어요 / 날짜를 정하기로 했어요 / 같이 여행을 가기로 했어요
2. 일찍 일어나려고 해요 / 시험을 준비하려고 해요 / 여권을 확인하려고 해요
3. Sample: 저는 지금 한국어를 공부하고 있어요.
4. Sample: 여행을 가려고 했어요. 그래서 수진 씨하고 같이 가기로 했어요.
Guided Practice
- 만나기로 했어요
- 확인하려고 해요
- 준비하고 있어요
- 여행을 가려고 했어요. 그래서 수진 씨하고 같이 가기로 했어요.
- Sample: 저는 지금 한국어 숙제를 하고 있어요.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- She has an exam this Friday, so she is studying for it.
- They decide to go on Saturday.
- She is planning to check her passport.
- -기로 하다/했다 — 토요일에 가기로 해요.; -(으)려고 하다 — 여권을 확인하려고 해요.; -고 있다 — 제주도 여행 일정을 확인하고 있어요.
Listening comprehension
- She is preparing for the Jeju Island trip.
- Confirming the plane tickets and deciding on lodging.
- They will meet at the airport Saturday morning.
Reading comprehension
- She has confirmed her passport, and she is currently packing her bag.
- Saturday morning at 8 o'clock at the airport.
- She plans to keep studying for the exam.
- -기로 하다 — 공항에서 만나기로 했지요?; -(으)려고 하다 — 시험 공부를 계속하려고 해요.
Chapter Review — Section B
1. 토요일에 만나기로 했어요 / 날짜를 정하기로 했어요
2. (a) → 내일 만나기로 했어요. (b) → 공부하고 있어요.
Section D — Sample "My Plans and Arrangements This Week" paragraph
저는 지금 한국어 숙제를 하고 있어요. 그리고 이번 주말에 도서관에서 공부하려고 해요. 친구하고 일요일 오후에 카페에서 만나기로 했어요. 그때 같이 시험 준비를 할 거예요.
Check that: at least one -고 있어요 statement, one -(으)려고 해요 statement, and one -기로 했어요 statement appear; ideas are connected logically; speech level is consistent everyday polite throughout; particles and spacing are accurate.
Looking Ahead
지금 할 수 있는 것 — What you can do now
You can report firm arrangements, state personal intentions, describe ongoing actions with a small set of verbs, and distinguish these patterns from the future/intention and wish patterns learned earlier.