📘 Grammar 16: How to Use ~기로 하다 – Making Decisions or Promises in Korean

📘 How to Use ~기로 하다 – Making Decisions or Promises in Korean

Want to say “I decided to study”, “We promised to meet tomorrow”, or “I planned to call her”? In Korean, the grammar structure ~기로 하다 is used to talk about making decisions, promises, or plans.

This lesson will teach you how to use ~기로 하다 correctly, with examples, Romanized pronunciation, and tips to help you sound natural in conversations!

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🧠 What Does ~기로 하다 Mean?

~기로 하다 means “to decide to do something” or “to agree to do something”.

You attach it to the verb stem to indicate a decision or promise you made with yourself or others.

Structure:
Verb stem + 기로 하다

• 공부하다 → 공부하기로 하다 → I decided to study
• 만나다 → 만나기로 하다 → We decided to meet

📘 When to Use ~기로 하다

• ✅ Making a personal decision (e.g., I will exercise every day)
• ✅ Making a promise with someone (e.g., We promised to meet)
• ✅ Setting a plan or resolution (e.g., I decided to start learning Korean)

It can be used in various tenses:

• 기로 했어요 – I decided to… (past decision)
• 기로 해요 – I decide to… (present/future decision)

📊 Grammar Summary Table

Verb	기로 하다 Form	Meaning	Romanization
가다	가기로 하다	to decide to go	ga-gi-ro ha-da
공부하다	공부하기로 하다	to decide to study	gong-bu-ha-gi-ro ha-da
쉬다	쉬기로 하다	to decide to rest	swi-gi-ro ha-da
운동하다	운동하기로 하다	to decide to exercise	un-dong-ha-gi-ro ha-da

📙 Example Sentences

• 내일부터 운동하기로 했어요 – I decided to start exercising from tomorrow
  nae-il-bu-teo un-dong-ha-gi-ro haet-seo-yo
• 친구랑 영화를 보기로 했어요 – I decided to watch a movie with my friend
  chin-gu-rang yeong-hwa-reul bo-gi-ro haet-seo-yo
• 일찍 자기로 했어요 – I decided to go to bed early
  il-jjik ja-gi-ro haet-seo-yo

📌 Tip: Add “안” or “않기로 하다” for Negative

• 담배를 피우지 않기로 했어요 – I decided not to smoke
• 그 사람을 만나지 않기로 했어요 – I decided not to meet that person

❗ Common Mistakes

• ❌ 공부 하기로 하다 (space error)
• ✅ 공부하기로 하다 (use verb stem + 기)
• Be careful not to confuse with ~기로 했어요 (past) and ~기로 해요 (present/future)

🧪 Mini Quiz – Test Yourself!

1. How do you say “I decided to rest”?
   a) 쉬기 해요
   b) 쉬기로 했어요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 쉬기로 했어요

2. Translate: “We decided not to go.”
   a) 가지 않기로 했어요
   b) 갈 수 없어요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 가지 않기로 했어요

3. Which is correct?
   a) 공부하기로 하다
   b) 공부해기로 하다
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 공부하기로 하다

✅ Conclusion

Now you know how to talk about your decisions and promises in Korean using ~기로 하다!

• Attach ~기로 하다 to verb stems to show you’ve made a decision
• Use ~기로 했어요 for past decisions, ~기로 해요 for current/future
• Make it negative with ~지 않기로 하다

Practice by writing down your goals in Korean:

• “I decided to study Korean every day” → 매일 한국어 공부하기로 했어요
• “I decided to eat healthy food” → 건강한 음식을 먹기로 했어요

📘 Coming Up Next

Next lesson: How to Use ~아/어도 – Even If / Even Though in Korean
Learn how to say things like “Even if I’m tired, I’ll study” using this versatile connector!

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Related Keywords:
learn korean, korean grammar, 기로 하다, making decisions in korean, promising in korean, korean planning expressions, romanized korean