Yaksokada Conjugation: 약속하다 Meaning, Forms & Examples

Key Facts

• Hangul: 약속하다 (yaksokada)
• Meaning: to promise; to make plans (to meet)
• Level: A2
• Stem: 약속하
• Class: 하다 type
• Polite present / past: 약속해요 / 약속했어요
• Honorific polite: 약속하세요

What Does 약속하다 Mean?

Sense:

• to promise. Promise to do something, or arrange to meet: 친구와 약속하다.

The promise can take 을/를, and the person you promise or make plans with takes 와/과: 친구와 약속하다. The noun is very common: 약속이 있어요 means "I have plans", and 약속을 지키다 means to keep a promise.

How Do You Pronounce 약속하다?

In Revised Romanization, 약속하다 is written yaksokada. The spoken form is [약쏘카다], which follows the 국립국어원 standard pronunciation rules.

19 conjugated forms of 약속하다 sound different from the spelling:

• 약속해요 [약쏘캐요]
• 약속했어요 [약쏘캐써요]
• 약속할 거예요 [약쏘칼꺼예요]
• 약속하겠어요 [약쏘카게써요]
• 약속합니다 [약쏘캄니다]
• 약속했습니다 [약쏘캗씀니다]
• 약속할 것입니다 [약쏘칼꺼심니다]
• 약속해 [약쏘캐]
• 약속했어 [약쏘캐써]
• 약속할 거야 [약쏘칼꺼야]
• 약속하고 싶어요 [약쏘카고 시퍼요]
• 약속하세요 [약쏘카세요]
• 약속해서 [약쏘캐서]
• 약속하면 [약쏘카면]
• 약속하는 [약쏘카는]
• 약속한 [약쏘칸]
• 약속할 [약쏘칼]
• 약속 안 해요 [약쏘간 해요]
• 약속하지 않아요 [약쏘카지 아나요]

How Do You Use 약속하다 in a Sentence?

The pattern -기로 약속하다 says what was agreed: 보기로 means to watch. (약속했어요)

꼭 means definitely, and 약속할 거예요 is the plan future. (약속할 거예요)

The conditional 약속하면 (if you promise) with 지켜야 해요 (you must keep it). (약속하면)

How Does Yaksokada Conjugation Work? (19 forms)

Is 약속하다 Regular or Irregular?

In 약속하다 the noun 약속 never changes; 하 + 여 contracts to 해, so 약속해요 and the past 약속했어요. 하다 to 해요 explains the pattern for every 하다 verb.

Which Mistake Do Learners Make with 약속하다?

Wrong: ✗ 약속을 만들어요.

Correct: ✓ 약속을 해요.

Why: Use 하다 with 약속; also 약속을 잡다 (make an appointment).

English "make a promise" or "make plans" leads learners to 만들어요, from a verb that means to make an object. 약속 pairs with 하다, and setting up a meeting time is 약속을 잡다.

약속하다 Versus 예약하다 and 초대하다

Confirming a Saturday Meeting

Two friends check an arrangement they made earlier. They use polite speech, the past to recall their agreement, and the present to renew a promise.

Jisu

Alex

Jisu

Alex

만나기로 names the agreed action: meeting. 늦지 않기로 makes the promised action negative: not being late. The negative belongs to the action inside the promise, so 약속해요 itself stays positive. 약속하면 makes a condition about making a promise.

What Can You Do with a 약속?

약속을 잡다 means to arrange an appointment or make plans to meet. Literally, 잡다 means “catch” or “hold”, but here it means settling an arrangement. 약속을 지키다 means to keep a promise, and 약속을 어기다 means to break one. The first establishes the arrangement; the other two describe whether someone follows through.

약속 시간 is the agreed meeting time, while 약속 장소 is the meeting place. These phrases are useful when a conversation shifts from agreeing to the practical details. 약속 시간에 늦다 means to be late for the appointed time. 약속이 있다, “to have plans”, reports an existing commitment without explaining every detail of it.

손가락을 걸고 약속하다 describes making a pinky promise. The action is literal: people hook their little fingers together. It can appear between children or playfully between adults. The gesture adds a personal, playful tone; it does not turn an ordinary promise into a formal contract.

Where Will You Hear 약속하다?

A drama character may say 약속해, “I promise” or “promise me”, in a serious personal scene. The same casual form can be a statement or a request; the speaker's role and intonation make the difference. 약속해요 keeps the promise personal while using a polite ending. 약속합니다 sounds more formal and deliberate, as in a public statement of commitment.

A coworker declining dinner may say 약속이 있어요. English “I have an appointment” can suggest a clinic or business meeting, but the Korean noun also covers plans with friends. If the commitment is a restaurant booking, 예약 is the useful word. If it is an agreement with a person, 약속 fits.

How Do You State Exactly What Was Promised?

The pattern -기로 약속하다 attaches to the action being agreed on. The existing example 보기로 약속했어요 names watching a movie as that action. The tense on 약속했어요 dates the agreement; it does not automatically say the movie has already been watched. A promise made yesterday can concern a meeting next week.

Keep the two verbs separate in writing: 보기로 약속했어요. The action plus 기로 is one unit, followed by the promise verb. Write 약속하다 as one word when it is the verb, but 약속을 하다 as a noun phrase followed by 하다. In the short negative 약속 안 해요, 안 remains separate.

The spoken aspiration described above does not change the spelling: 하 stays in 약속하다 and 해 stays in 약속해요. The spelling represents the noun 약속 plus 하다 even when the consonants blend in speech.

Words for Arranging a Meeting

The daily routines vocabulary lesson helps place personal plans within a day; compare the existing 예약하다 link for bookings.

Mini Drill: Promises and Plans

1. Put 약속하다 into the polite past.
2. Add the companion marker: 친구____ 약속했어요.
3. Complete the phrase for keeping a promise: 약속을 ____.
4. Choose the noun for a restaurant reservation: 약속 or 예약?

Quick Self-Test

1. Does 약속이 있어요 always mean a medical appointment?
2. In 보기로 약속했어요, has the movie necessarily been watched?
3. What does 잡다 mean in 약속을 잡다?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 약속하다 a Regular or Irregular Verb?

약속하다 follows the 하다 pattern: 하 + 여 contracts to 해, so every ending that starts with 아/어 becomes 해-.

How Do I Say "I Promise" Politely?

약속해요. The past is 약속했어요, as in 친구와 영화를 보기로 약속했어요 (I made plans with my friend to see a movie).

Does 약속하다 Take an Object?

It can. The promise takes 을/를, and the person takes 와/과: 친구와 약속하다.

How Do I Say "I Have Plans"?

Say 약속이 있어요, using the noun 약속.

How Do I Say "Keep a Promise"?

약속을 지키다, literally "guard the promise".

Which Words Are Related to 약속하다?

• 연락하다
• 만나다

What Should You Learn Next?

Next, compare 약속하다 with 예약하다 (booking) and 초대하다 (inviting), and learn 만나다 for the meeting itself. Use the Korean verb conjugator for any form of 약속하다, or browse the verb dictionary.