Make plans in Korean
Learn elementary Korean phrases to invite a friend, suggest a time, accept or politely decline, and settle on a final plan using natural polite speech.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn a complete, practical exchange in Korean: inviting someone to do something, suggesting a specific time, accepting or politely declining, and then agreeing on the final plan. Korean has several politeness levels, and for everyday invitations between friends or friendly acquaintances, the polite informal style ending in -yo (요) is the safest choice. You will practice the key patterns -e gachi (같이, together), -e (에, at a time), -e yo (에요, it is), -eul su isseoyo (을 수 있어요, I can), and -eun pyeon-i eottaeyo (은 편이 어때요, how about). Pay attention to word order: the verb comes last, and time expressions usually appear before the verb. By the end, you will be able to handle a real invitation from start to finish without switching to English.
By the end, you can…
- invite someone to do an activity using polite informal Korean.
- suggest a specific day and time and ask if it works for the other person.
- accept an invitation or politely decline and offer an alternative.
- confirm a final plan and say goodbye naturally.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
같이 영화 볼래요?
Do you want to watch a movie together?
ga-chi yeong-hwa bol-lae-yo?
A friendly invitation using the -l-lae-yo pattern. Use it with friends or people you already know well. The literal meaning is close to 'Shall we watch a movie together?'
토요일 어때요?
How about Saturday?
to-yo-il eo-ttae-yo?
A simple, very common way to suggest a day. You can replace 토요일 with any day or time expression, such as 일곱 시 (il-gop si, seven o'clock).
좋아요. 그때 만나요.
Sounds good. Let's meet then.
jo-a-yo. geu-ttae man-na-yo.
A warm acceptance. 그때 (geu-ttae) means 'then' or 'at that time,' and 만나요 (man-na-yo) is a polite informal 'let's meet.'
미안해요, 그때는 안 돼요.
Sorry, I can't at that time.
mi-an-hae-yo, geu-ttae-neun an dwae-yo.
A polite decline. The particle -는 (-neun) after 그때 adds contrast, meaning 'as for that time.' 안 돼요 (an dwae-yo) means 'it doesn't work' or 'I can't.'
그럼 일요일은 어때요?
Then how about Sunday?
geu-reom il-yo-il-eun eo-ttae-yo?
Use 그럼 (geu-reom, 'then') to offer an alternative after a decline. This keeps the conversation moving without pressure.
네, 좋아요. 그럼 일요일에 만나요.
Yes, sounds good. Then let's meet on Sunday.
ne, jo-a-yo. geu-reom il-yo-il-e man-na-yo.
A final confirmation. The particle -에 (-e) after 일요일 marks the time: 'on Sunday.' This is the natural way to close a plan.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern -l-lae-yo (-ㄹ래요) is used to ask about someone's intention or to make a friendly suggestion. Attach it to a verb stem: 보다 (bo-da, to watch) becomes 볼래요? (bol-lae-yo?, do you want to watch?), and 먹다 (meok-da, to eat) becomes 먹을래요? (meo-geul-lae-yo?, do you want to eat?). To answer, you can say 좋아요 (jo-a-yo, sounds good) or 미안해요, 안 돼요 (mi-an-hae-yo, an dwae-yo, sorry, I can't). For time, use a noun plus -에 (-e): 토요일에 (to-yo-il-e, on Saturday), 일곱 시에 (il-gop si-e, at seven o'clock).
When to use it
Use the -yo (요) polite informal style with friends, classmates, coworkers you know, and people your age or younger in casual but polite settings. It is not appropriate for formal business meetings or for speaking to someone clearly older or of higher status, where you would use -si- and formal endings such as -시겠어요? (-si-ge-sseo-yo?). If you must decline, soften it with 미안해요 (mi-an-hae-yo, sorry) and then offer another option with 그럼 (geu-reom, then) plus 어때요? (eo-ttae-yo?, how about?). This shows respect for the other person's time and keeps the invitation open.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
주말에 시간 있어요?
Do you have time on the weekend?ju-mal-e si-gan i-sseo-yo?네, 토요일은 괜찮아요. 왜요?
Yes, Saturday is fine. Why?ne, to-yo-il-eun gwaen-chan-a-yo. wae-yo?같이 영화 볼래요?
Do you want to watch a movie together?ga-chi yeong-hwa bol-lae-yo?좋아요. 몇 시에 만나요?
Sounds good. What time shall we meet?jo-a-yo. myeot si-e man-na-yo?세 시 어때요?
How about three o'clock?se si eo-ttae-yo?미안해요, 세 시는 안 돼요. 네 시는 어때요?
Sorry, three o'clock doesn't work. How about four?mi-an-hae-yo, se si-neun an dwae-yo. ne si-neun eo-ttae-yo?A little context goes a long way
Korean politeness is built into verb endings, not just vocabulary. The -yo (요) ending is polite but informal, so it fits friends and familiar coworkers, while formal situations call for -seumnida (-습니다) or -si- honorifics. When declining, Koreans often soften the refusal with 미안해요 (mi-an-hae-yo) and immediately suggest another time, because a bare 'no' can feel abrupt. Also, age and social rank affect which style you choose, so when in doubt, use the polite -yo form rather than dropping it entirely.
One thing to watch for
Saying 시간 있어요? without a time expression, or using 에 (e) with 어때요 (eo-ttae-yo) incorrectly, such as 토요일에 어때요?
Try this instead: For 'How about Saturday?' say 토요일 어때요? (to-yo-il eo-ttae-yo?) without 에. Use 에 only when stating a fixed time, as in 토요일에 만나요 (to-yo-il-e man-na-yo, let's meet on Saturday). The particle -에 marks when something happens, while 어때요 asks for an opinion about a choice.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you invite a friend to eat lunch together using the -l-lae-yo pattern?
Show a sample answer
같이 점심 먹을래요? (ga-chi jeom-sim meo-geul-lae-yo?)
This uses 같이 (together), 점심 (lunch), and the verb 먹다 (to eat) changed to 먹을래요. A valid alternative is 같이 점심 먹을래요? with the same meaning; word order can vary slightly as long as the verb stays at the end.
2Someone invites you for Friday, but you are busy. How do you politely decline and suggest Sunday?
Show a sample answer
미안해요, 금요일은 안 돼요. 그럼 일요일은 어때요? (mi-an-hae-yo, geu-myo-il-eun an dwae-yo. geu-reom il-yo-il-eun eo-ttae-yo?)
This declines with 미안해요 and 안 돼요, then uses 그럼 (then) plus 일요일은 어때요? to offer Sunday. You could also say 일요일 어때요? without the contrast particle -은; both are acceptable.
3What does the particle -에 (-e) do in 일곱 시에 만나요?
Show a sample answer
It marks the time when the meeting happens: 'Let's meet at seven o'clock.'
In Korean, -에 attaches to time nouns to show when an action occurs. 일곱 시에 means 'at seven o'clock.' Note that some time words like 오늘 (today) and 내일 (tomorrow) usually do not take -에, so 오늘 만나요 is more natural than 오늘에 만나요.
Use the polite -yo style to invite, suggest a time with 어때요, accept with 좋아요, or decline gently with 미안해요 plus an alternative, then confirm with 그럼 ...에 만나요.
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