予定 (Plan to)

What is 予定?

予定 (yotei) means "plan," "schedule," or "arrangement" and expresses concrete, objective plans rather than personal intentions. It indicates something that has been planned, scheduled, or arranged.

English equivalents:

• "plan to"
• "be scheduled to"
• "be supposed to"
• "be going to" (concrete plan)

Key characteristic: Objective, concrete plans or schedules (unlike つもり which is subjective intention).

明日東京に行く予定です。
Ashita Toukyou ni iku yotei desu.
"I'm scheduled to go to Tokyo tomorrow." / "I plan to go to Tokyo tomorrow."

会議は3時に始まる予定です。
Kaigi wa sanji ni hajimaru yotei desu.
"The meeting is scheduled to start at 3 o'clock."

Basic Structure

Affirmative

[Verb dictionary form] + 予定です

行く予定です。
Iku yotei desu.
"I'm scheduled to go." / "I plan to go."

来週出張する予定です。
Raishuu shucchou suru yotei desu.
"I'm scheduled to go on a business trip next week."

6時に到着する予定です。
Rokuji ni touchaku suru yotei desu.
"It's scheduled to arrive at 6 o'clock."

Negative

[Verb negative form] + 予定です

行かない予定です。
Ikanai yotei desu.
"I'm not scheduled to go." / "I don't plan to go."

今日は働かない予定です。
Kyou wa hatarakanai yotei desu.
"I'm not scheduled to work today."

Concrete Plans

Scheduled activities

来月日本に行く予定です。
Raigetsu Nihon ni iku yotei desu.
"I'm scheduled to go to Japan next month."

来年結婚する予定です。
Rainen kekkon suru yotei desu.
"I'm scheduled to get married next year."

週末友達に会う予定です。
Shuumatsu tomodachi ni au yotei desu.
"I'm scheduled to meet friends this weekend."

Past Plans

What was planned

[Verb dictionary form] + 予定だった

昨日行く予定だった。
Kinou iku yotei datta.
"I was scheduled to go yesterday." [But didn't]

3時に終わる予定だったが、遅れた。
Sanji ni owaru yotei datta ga, okureta.
"It was scheduled to end at 3, but it was delayed."

先週発表する予定だったけど、延期になった。
Senshuu happyou suru yotei datta kedo, enki ni natta.
"It was scheduled to be announced last week, but it was postponed."

Questions About Plans

Asking about schedules

いつ行く予定ですか。
Itsu iku yotei desu ka.
"When are you scheduled to go?" / "When do you plan to go?"

何時に始まる予定ですか。
Nanji ni hajimaru yotei desu ka.
"What time is it scheduled to start?"

誰が来る予定ですか。
Dare ga kuru yotei desu ka.
"Who is scheduled to come?"

どのくらいかかる予定ですか。
Dono kurai kakaru yotei desu ka.
"How long is it scheduled to take?"

For Both People and Events

People's plans

田中さんは明日来る予定です。
Tanaka-san wa ashita kuru yotei desu.
"Tanaka is scheduled to come tomorrow."

社長は来週出張する予定です。
Shachou wa raishuu shucchou suru yotei desu.
"The president is scheduled to go on a business trip next week."

Event schedules

会議は10時に始まる予定です。
Kaigi wa juuji ni hajimaru yotei desu.
"The meeting is scheduled to start at 10."

電車は5分後に到着する予定です。
Densha wa gofun-go ni touchaku suru yotei desu.
"The train is scheduled to arrive in 5 minutes."

工事は来月終わる予定です。
Kouji wa raigetsu owaru yotei desu.
"The construction is scheduled to finish next month."

Comparing つもり and 予定

つもり - Subjective intention

明日行くつもりです。
Ashita iku tsumori desu.
"I intend to go tomorrow." [Personal decision]

予定 - Objective plan/schedule

明日行く予定です。
Ashita iku yotei desu.
"I'm scheduled to go tomorrow." [Concrete arrangement]

Aspect	つもり	予定
Nature	Subjective intention	Objective schedule
Feeling	Personal will	Arranged plan
For others	Rarely	Common
Certainty	May easily change	More concrete
Use	"I intend to"	"It's scheduled"

See: つもり (Intend to)

の予定 - Noun Modifier

As modifier

来週の予定
Raishuu no yotei
"Next week's plan/schedule"

今日の予定は？
Kyou no yotei wa?
"What's today's schedule?"

明日の予定を教えてください。
Ashita no yotei wo oshiete kudasai.
"Please tell me tomorrow's schedule."

変更の予定はありません。
Henkou no yotei wa arimasen.
"There's no plan for changes."

Time Expressions

Specific times

3時に終わる予定です。
Sanji ni owaru yotei desu.
"It's scheduled to end at 3 o'clock."

来週月曜日に届く予定です。
Raishuu getsuyoubi ni todoku yotei desu.
"It's scheduled to arrive next Monday."

今年中に完成する予定です。
Kotoshi-juu ni kansei suru yotei desu.
"It's scheduled to be completed within this year."

Work and Business

Professional schedules

会議は午後2時からの予定です。
Kaigi wa gogo niji kara no yotei desu.
"The meeting is scheduled from 2 PM."

プロジェクトは来月スタートする予定です。
Purojekuto wa raigetsu suta-to suru yotei desu.
"The project is scheduled to start next month."

新商品は春に発売する予定です。
Shinshouhin wa haru ni hatsubai suru yotei desu.
"The new product is scheduled to be released in spring."

Travel Plans

Trip schedules

来月ハワイに行く予定です。
Raigetsu Hawai ni iku yotei desu.
"I'm scheduled to go to Hawaii next month."

3日間滞在する予定です。
Mikka-kan taizai suru yotei desu.
"I'm scheduled to stay for 3 days."

日曜日に帰る予定です。
Nichiyoubi ni kaeru yotei desu.
"I'm scheduled to return on Sunday."

Tentative Plans

Expressing uncertainty

たぶん行く予定です。
Tabun iku yotei desu.
"I'm probably scheduled to go."

まだ決まっていませんが、来週行く予定です。
Mada kimatte imasen ga, raishuu iku yotei desu.
"It's not decided yet, but I'm scheduled to go next week."

Changed Plans

Plans that changed

予定が変わった。
Yotei ga kawatta.
"The plan changed."

予定を変更しました。
Yotei wo henkou shimashita.
"I changed the plan."

予定より早く終わった。
Yotei yori hayaku owatta.
"It finished earlier than scheduled."

予定通りに進んでいる。
Yotei-doori ni susunde iru.
"It's proceeding as scheduled."

Formal Contexts

Business and official

会議は予定通り開催されます。
Kaigi wa yotei-doori kaisai saremasu.
"The meeting will be held as scheduled."

発表は来週の予定となっております。
Happyou wa raishuu no yotei to natte orimasu.
"The announcement is scheduled for next week." [Formal]

工事完了は3月末の予定でございます。
Kouji kanryou wa sangatsu-matsu no yotei de gozaimasu.
"Construction completion is scheduled for the end of March." [Very formal]

予定がある - Have Plans

Being busy

今日は予定があります。
Kyou wa yotei ga arimasu.
"I have plans today."

週末予定がありますか。
Shuumatsu yotei ga arimasu ka.
"Do you have plans this weekend?"

何も予定がない。
Nani mo yotei ga nai.
"I don't have any plans."

Common Patterns

予定通り (yotei-doori) - As scheduled

予定通りに進んでいる。
Yotei-doori ni susunde iru.
"It's proceeding as scheduled."

予定通りに到着した。
Yotei-doori ni touchaku shita.
"It arrived as scheduled."

予定より (yotei yori) - Than scheduled

予定より早い。
Yotei yori hayai.
"Earlier than scheduled."

予定より遅れている。
Yotei yori okurete iru.
"It's running late / behind schedule."

の予定になっている

Passive/arranged plan

会議は3時の予定になっています。
Kaigi wa sanji no yotei ni natte imasu.
"The meeting is scheduled for 3 o'clock." [It has been arranged]

発売は来月の予定になっている。
Hatsubai wa raigetsu no yotei ni natte iru.
"The release is scheduled for next month."

Asking to Reschedule

Changing arrangements

予定を変えてもいいですか。
Yotei wo kaete mo ii desu ka.
"Is it okay to change the schedule?"

予定を調整できますか。
Yotei wo chousei dekimasu ka.
"Can you adjust the schedule?"

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using 予定 for Personal Intentions Only

❌ 頑張る予定です (wrong - not a concrete plan) ✓ 頑張るつもりです

Use つもり for personal intentions without concrete arrangements.

Mistake 2: Wrong Verb Form

❌ 行った予定です (past tense wrong) ✓ 行く予定です (dictionary form)

Use dictionary form before 予定.

Mistake 3: Confusing with つもり

Context determines which to use:

• Concrete arrangement → 予定
• Personal intention → つもり

Mistake 4: Forgetting Particles

❌ 3 時始まる予定です ✓ 3 時に始まる予定です

Include proper particles (に, で, etc.).

Summary

Key Points:

• 予定 expresses concrete plans and schedules
• Structure: Verb dictionary form + 予定です
• Means "plan to," "be scheduled to"
• More objective than つもり (intention)
• Used for both people's plans and event schedules
• Common patterns: 予定がある, 予定通り, 予定より
• Past: 予定だった (was scheduled to)
• Can modify nouns: 明日の予定
• Essential for discussing arrangements and schedules
• More concrete and reliable than personal intentions