Key Facts
- Hangul: 결정하다 (gyeoljeonghada, 4 syllables)
- Meaning: to decide
- Level: B1
- Stem: 결정하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- What it takes: Takes an object with 을/를: 날짜를 결정해요.
What Does 결정하다 Mean?
결정하다 means to make a decision about something: 날짜를 결정하다 is fixing a date, and 회사를 결정하다 is settling on a company. It takes 을/를.
The noun 결정 is very common, especially in 결정을 내리다, the usual way to say 'make a decision'.
- to decide: Make a decision about something: 날짜를 결정하다.
How Do You Pronounce 결정하다?
Four syllables. Spoken, 결정했어요 comes out as [결정해써요] and 결정합니다 comes out as [결정함니다]. Revised Romanization is gyeoljeonghada.
How Do You Use 결정하다 in a Sentence?
우리가 날짜를 결정해요.
We decide the date.
A joint decision: 우리가 shows the group deciding, with the date as the object.
드디어 회사를 결정했어요.
I finally decided on a company.
A past form with 드디어, 'at last', after a long deliberation.
결정하면 알려 주세요.
Please tell me once you decide.
A polite request on the -면 ending: tell me once you have decided.
How Does Gyeoljeonghada Conjugation Work?
결정하다 is a regular 하다 verb, so the stem 결정하 becomes 결정해 before 아 or 어 endings. The forms are 결정해요, 결정했어요 and 결정해서. The short negative is 결정 안 해요, and the long negative is 결정하지 않아요. To propose a joint decision, say 결정합시다 in a meeting or 결정하자 among friends.
The pattern behind 결정하다 is taught step by step in 하다 to 해요.
결정하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 결정해요 | ||
| Polite past | 결정했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 결정할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (guess) | 결정하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 결정합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 결정했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 결정할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 결정해 | ||
| Casual past | 결정했어 | ||
| Casual future | 결정할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 결정하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 결정하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 결정해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 결정하면 | ||
| Present modifier | 결정하는 | ||
| Past modifier | 결정한 | ||
| Future modifier | 결정할 | ||
| Short negative | 결정 안 해요 | ||
| Long negative | 결정하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 결정해요 | as written |
| Polite past | 결정했어요 | [결정해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 결정할 거예요 | [결정할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 결정하겠어요 | [결정하게써요] |
| Formal present | 결정합니다 | [결정함니다] |
| Formal past | 결정했습니다 | [결정핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 결정할 것입니다 | [결정할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 결정해 | as written |
| Casual past | 결정했어 | [결정해써] |
| Casual future | 결정할 거야 | [결정할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 결정하고 싶어요 | [결정하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 결정하세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 결정해서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 결정하면 | as written |
| Present modifier | 결정하는 | as written |
| Past modifier | 결정한 | as written |
| Future modifier | 결정할 | as written |
| Short negative | 결정 안 해요 | as written |
| Long negative | 결정하지 않아요 | [결정하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 결정을 만들었어요
Correct: ✓ 결정을 내렸어요.
Why: English 'make a decision' is 결정을 내리다 (or just 결정하다), not 만들다.
How Does 결정하다 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | How to tell it from 결정하다 |
|---|---|
| 정하다 | The plainer word for deciding or setting. 결정하다 sounds more formal. |
| 선택하다 | Choosing among options. 결정하다 is reaching the decision itself. |
Settling the Date for a Team Dinner
Two coworkers have compared possible dates. They now need a final decision before booking a restaurant.
Jisu
회식 날짜를 결정했어요?
Hoesik naljjareul gyeoljeonghaesseoyo?
Have you decided the date for the team dinner?
Alex
아직요. 오늘 결정할 거예요.
Ajigyo. Oneul gyeoljeonghal geoyeyo.
Not yet. We’re going to decide today.
Jisu
결정하면 알려 주세요.
Gyeoljeonghamyeon allyeo juseyo.
Please let me know once you decide.
Alex
네. 모두의 의견을 먼저 들을게요.
Ne. Moduui uigyeoneul meonjeo deureulgeyo.
Of course. I’ll hear everyone’s views first.
결정했어요 asks whether the decision is complete. 결정할 거예요 gives a plan to make it, while 결정하면 makes the update depend on that decision. 회식 is a meal with coworkers. The decision here concerns the date, not whether the team will eat together at all.
Common Decision Phrases
결정을 내리다 means to make or reach a decision. Literally, 내리다 often means to lower something, but this combination concerns arriving at a conclusion. It is the natural phrase to learn as a unit. The English verb “make” does not lead to 만들다 in this expression.
최종 결정 means the final decision. 중요한 결정 means an important decision, and 신중하게 결정하다 means to decide carefully. 최종 tells you that the process has reached its final stage. 신중하게 describes how the choice is made; it does not guarantee that the eventual result will be good.
결정을 미루다 means to postpone a decision. This is useful when a group needs more information or time. It does not mean reversing a decision already made. 결정을 바꾸다 means to change a decision, so the two phrases describe different points in the process.
What Exactly Can You Decide?
날짜를 결정하다 settles a date, and 가격을 결정하다 sets a price. The object can therefore be a detail to establish, rather than an item to take home. 고르다 often focuses on selecting from available options; 결정하다 focuses on fixing the answer so the next step can happen.
A complete plan can also be expressed with -기로 결정하다, “decide to do”. For example, 가기로 결정하다 means to decide to go. The decision concerns an action, so Korean puts that action before 결정하다 rather than treating the English infinitive “to go” as a separate verb after it.
The two constructions answer different questions. 날짜를 결정하다 answers which date has been fixed. 가기로 결정하다 answers what action someone has resolved to take. You can understand the pattern without assuming that 결정하다 always needs a visible noun with 을/를 immediately before it.
Where Will You Hear 결정하다?
At work, 결정하다 appears when a team settles dates, prices, responsibilities or a course of action. It can sound more deliberate than 정하다, but it is also natural between friends discussing an important choice. A word can be more formal in flavor without being restricted to formal speech endings.
In news, a committee, company or government may be the subject of 결정하다. The named subject is the decision maker, while the object gives what has been decided. This matters when a report discusses several organizations: the verb alone does not identify whose authority settled the question.
결정되다 is useful when the focus is on the result: something is decided. 날짜를 결정하다 presents someone deciding the date; 날짜가 결정되다 presents the date becoming settled. The particle changes with the role of 날짜, so retaining 을 in both patterns would blur who or what is doing the action.
What Makes the Forms Easy to Mix Up?
The 하다 contraction gives 결정해요, 결정했어요 and 결정해서. The modifier 결정한 refers to a completed decision, while 결정하는 describes deciding as an action. Keep 하 in these modifiers; the contracted 해 does not replace the stem in every grammatical environment.
결정 안 해요 is the short negative, with 안 before 해요. 결정하지 않아요 keeps the full verb together before the longer negative. For “not yet decided”, a past negative with 아직 is often the useful meaning: the decision has not been reached so far. A present negative can instead describe refusing or routinely avoiding a decision.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 결정 | decision | The noun in 결정을 내리다. |
| 의견 | opinion / view | Something a group may gather before deciding. |
| 선택 | choice / selection | Highlights selecting an option. |
| 결과 | result | What follows or comes out of a process. |
The reasoning vocabulary lesson supplies nouns for discussing choices, reasons and results.
Mini Drill: Finishing a Decision
- Give the polite past of 결정하다.
- Give the conditional used in “once you decide”.
- Complete the set phrase for “make a decision”: 결정을 ____.
- Give the short negative of 결정하다.
Show drill answers
- 결정했어요.
- 결정하면.
- 결정을 내리다.
- 결정 안 해요.
Quick Self-Test
- In 날짜를 결정하다, what is being settled?
- Does 결정을 미루다 mean changing an existing decision?
- Which noun is the subject in 날짜가 결정되다?
Show answers
- The date.
- No. It means postponing the decision.
- 날짜, the date.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'Make a Decision' in Korean?
Say 결정을 내리다 or just 결정하다. 결정을 만들다 is not used.
What Is the Polite past of 결정하다?
It is 결정했어요, said [결정해써요].
Is 결정하다 Formal?
A little. 정하다 is the plainer word, while 결정하다 suits work and serious choices.
What Particle Does It Take?
을/를, as in 날짜를 결정해요.
Which Words Are Related to 결정하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Next, read 선택하다 and 고르다 for the choosing side, and 생각하다 for what comes before a decision. To test another form of 결정하다 ('to decide'), open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary. Where 안 goes in the negative of 결정하다 is covered in negating 하다 verbs.