Japanese for Confirming Plans: Saying 'That Works for Me' and 'Sounds Good'
Learn beginner Japanese phrases to confirm plans during negotiation, such as 大丈夫です and いいですね, and see how they differ from accepting an invitation.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
When you make plans in Japanese, you often negotiate a time, place, or day before anything is final. This lesson teaches you how to confirm a proposal with phrases like 大丈夫です (daijōbu desu, 'that works for me') and いいですね (ii desu ne, 'sounds good'). These are not the same as accepting an invitation. Accepting an invitation means saying yes to an offer someone makes to you. Confirming a plan is part of a back-and-forth negotiation: someone suggests a detail, and you show that it works for you. You will practice polite, natural replies for casual and formal situations.
By the end, you can…
- confirm that a proposed time or plan works for me using 大丈夫です.
- respond to a suggestion with いいですね to show agreement during planning.
- distinguish confirming a plan from accepting an invitation.
- ask a follow-up question to keep a plan negotiation moving.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
大丈夫です。
That works for me. / It's fine.
da-i-jo-o-bu de-su
Use after someone proposes a time or day. It confirms that the suggestion is okay for you. In polite conversation, 大丈夫です is neutral and common.
いいですね。
Sounds good. / That sounds nice.
i-i de-su ne
Use when you hear a suggestion and want to show positive agreement. The final ね invites shared feeling, so it sounds friendly rather than flat.
その日は大丈夫です。
That day works for me.
so-no hi wa da-i-jo-o-bu de-su
Use when the proposed day is specifically okay. その日 (sono hi) means 'that day'. The particle は (wa) marks the topic.
いいですね。じゃあ、その時間で。
Sounds good. Then let's go with that time.
i-i de-su ne. ja-a, so-no ji-kan de
Use to confirm a time after agreement. じゃあ (jaa) means 'then/well then', and その時間で (sono jikan de) means 'with that time'.
私は大丈夫ですが、田中さんはどうですか。
I'm fine with it, but how about you, Tanaka-san?
wa-ta-shi wa da-i-jo-o-bu de-su ga, ta-na-ka-san wa do-o de-su ka
Use in a group negotiation to confirm your own availability and check another person's. が (ga) here means 'but', and どうですか asks 'how about it?'
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
A common pattern for confirming a plan is: [topic] は大丈夫です。For example, 月曜日は大丈夫です (getsuyōbi wa daijōbu desu) means 'Monday works for me.' You can also use いいですね after a suggestion: 土曜日はどうですか。いいですね (Doyōbi wa dō desu ka. Ii desu ne) means 'How about Saturday? Sounds good.' Notice that 大丈夫です confirms practicality, while いいですね shows positive agreement. In a negotiation, you may use both: first いいですね to show you like the idea, then 大丈夫です to confirm that you can actually do it.
When to use it
Use 大丈夫です when someone proposes a concrete detail such as a date, time, or place and you want to say it is okay for you. Use いいですね when you want to react positively to a suggestion before finalizing it. For example, if a friend says 日曜日はどうですか (Nichiyōbi wa dō desu ka, 'How about Sunday?'), you can answer いいですね。大丈夫です (Ii desu ne. Daijōbu desu, 'Sounds good. That works for me.'). Avoid using 大丈夫です to accept an invitation to an event; for that, a phrase like 行きます (ikimasu, 'I'll go') or 参加します (sanka shimasu, 'I'll participate') is clearer.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
次の土曜日、一緒に映画を見ませんか。
How about seeing a movie together next Saturday?tsu-gi no do-yo-o-bi, i-ssho ni e-e-ga o mi-ma-se-n kaいいですね。何時ですか。
Sounds good. What time?i-i de-su ne. na-n-ji de-su ka午後二時はどうですか。
How about two in the afternoon?go-go ni-ji wa do-o de-su ka大丈夫です。じゃあ、駅で会いましょう。
That works for me. Then let's meet at the station.da-i-jo-o-bu de-su. ja-a, e-ki de a-i-ma-sho-oA little context goes a long way
In Japanese planning, direct yes/no answers can feel abrupt. Phrases like 大丈夫です and いいですね keep the negotiation smooth and considerate. In formal situations, add と思います (to omoimasu, 'I think') to soften: 大丈夫だと思います (daijōbu da to omoimasu). With close friends, 大丈夫 (daijōbu) or いいね (ii ne) without です is natural. Note that 大丈夫 can also mean 'no, thank you' in some contexts when said with a certain tone, so listen to the situation.
One thing to watch for
Using 大丈夫です to accept an invitation, as in パーティーは大丈夫です meaning 'I'll go to the party.'
Try this instead: 大丈夫です confirms that a plan is okay, not that you accept an invitation. To accept, say パーティーに行きます (Pātī ni ikimasu, 'I'll go to the party') or 参加します (sanka shimasu, 'I'll participate'). Use 大丈夫です for confirming details like 土曜日は大丈夫です (Doyōbi wa daijōbu desu, 'Saturday works for me').
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Your friend suggests 日曜日はどうですか. You want to say 'That works for me.' What do you say?
Show a sample answer
日曜日は大丈夫です。
This confirms that Sunday works for you. You could also say 大丈夫です alone if the day is already clear from context. いいですね is also possible, but it shows positive agreement rather than practical confirmation.
2Someone proposes 三時はどうですか. You think it sounds good. Which phrase shows positive agreement?
Show a sample answer
いいですね。
いいですね means 'Sounds good' and shows you like the suggestion. If you also want to confirm that the time works, add 大丈夫です: いいですね。大丈夫です。
3In a group, you are fine with the plan but want to check another person's availability. What can you say?
Show a sample answer
私は大丈夫ですが、田中さんはどうですか。
This confirms your own availability and asks about Tanaka-san. The particle が means 'but' here, and どうですか asks 'how about it?' You could also use 田中さんは大丈夫ですか (Tanaka-san wa daijōbu desu ka) to ask directly.
Use 大丈夫です to confirm that a proposed plan works for you, and いいですね to show positive agreement during negotiation. Remember that confirming a plan is not the same as accepting an invitation; for invitations, use 行きます or 参加します.
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