Korean -기로 하다 and -거나: Making Travel Plans

Korean -기로 하다 reports a decision you’ve made — 제주도에 가기로 했어요 (we decided to go to Jeju) — while -거나 lists choices (등산하거나 영화를 봐요 — hike or watch a movie), and the -(으)ㄹ adnominal labels what’s still ahead: 갈 곳 (places to go), 먹을 음식 (food to eat), 할 일 (things to do). Together they’re the exact toolkit for planning a trip out loud.

In the last lesson you looked back on your time in Korea. Now you’ll look forward — picking a destination, weighing options, and drawing up a list of where to go and what to eat. This is how friends sketch a weekend getaway over a chat.

Words for planning a trip

These come up the moment someone says “let’s go somewhere.”

-기로 하다: locking in a decision

When a choice is settled — usually after talking it over — Korean uses -기로 하다. Attach -기로 to any verb stem, then 하다, normally in the past: 했어요. The past tense is natural because the deciding is already done.

Notice the nuance against -을 거예요: 갈 거예요 just states a future plan, while 가기로 했어요 stresses that the plan was agreed on. For a promise to yourself or others, this is the everyday shape — 일찍 일어나기로 했어요 (I’ve decided to get up early). To say you decided not to do something, negate the verb before -기로: 이번엔 안 가기로 했어요 (we decided not to go this time). And because the deciding is already done, the verb almost always sits in the past — 했어요, not 해요 — even when the trip itself is still ahead of you.

How do you list options and what lies ahead?

Two more pieces finish the planning toolkit. -거나 means “or” between actions, and the -(으)ㄹ adnominal labels things that haven’t happened yet — perfect for a to-do list. Attach -ㄹ after a vowel (가다 → 갈), -을 after a consonant (먹다 → 먹을).

So -거나 hands you a choice (A or B), while -(으)ㄹ turns a verb into a label for the future: 할 일 (things to do), 살 것 (things to buy), 볼 곳 (places to see). String them together and a whole itinerary falls out: 갈 곳도 정하고, 먹을 음식도 정하고, 살 것도 적었어요. Keep the two adnominals apart: 갈 곳 is a place you will go, but 가는 곳 (with -는) is a place you go regularly. Trip-planning is all about what’s still ahead, so -(으)ㄹ is your default — 갈 곳, 먹을 음식, 할 일.

Planning a weekend getaway

Watch all three tools at work as two friends settle a trip — every line is from this lesson:

See how they divide the labor: -기로 하다 locks in the big decision (제주도에 가기로 했어요), -거나 floats the options (바다 보거나 한라산에 가요), and -(으)ㄹ tags everything still ahead (갈 곳, 먹을 음식). That’s a full plan in four lines.

FAQ

What is the difference between -기로 하다 and just -을 거예요? -기로 하다 reports a DECISION you’ve made — often with someone: 제주도에 가기로 했어요 = we decided to go to Jeju. The past tense 했어요 is normal because the deciding already happened. -을 거예요 simply states a future plan or intention without the “we settled on this” nuance: 제주도에 갈 거예요 = I’m going to go to Jeju. Use -기로 하다 when the point is that a choice was locked in.

When do I use -거나 versus 하고 or -고? -거나 means “or” — it offers a choice between actions: 등산하거나 영화를 봐요 = I hike or watch a movie. 하고 and -고 mean “and,” linking things you do together or in sequence: 등산하고 영화를 봐요 = I hike and (then) watch a movie. So -거나 = pick one; -고 = both. For nouns, the “or” particle is -(이)나: 커피나 차 = coffee or tea.

Why is it 갈 곳 and not 가는 곳? The -(으)ㄹ adnominal marks something prospective — yet to happen: 갈 곳 = a place I will go, 먹을 음식 = food I will eat, 할 일 = things to do. 가는 곳 (with -는) means a place I currently/regularly go. For trip planning you’re talking about what’s still ahead, so -(으)ㄹ is the natural choice: 갈 곳이 많아요 = there are many places to go.

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Next: making reservations — 창가 자리로 할래요 and -을래요. Previous: your time and tales in Korea — -은 지. Full path: curriculum hub.