yaksok siganeul gyeoljeonghaesseoyo.

I decided on the appointment time.

Breakdown of yaksok siganeul gyeoljeonghaesseoyo.

• ~을: object particle
• 시간: time
• 약속: appointment
• 결정하다: to decide

Questions & Answers about yaksok siganeul gyeoljeonghaesseoyo.

Who is the subject here? Does it mean “I decided” or “we decided”?

Korean often drops the subject when it’s clear from context. 결정했어요 is first-person polite by default in many situations, so it can mean I decided or we decided, depending on context. If you need to be explicit, say 제가/우리가 약속 시간을 결정했어요.

Why is the object marker attached to 시간 (as 시간을) and not to 약속?

약속 시간 is one noun phrase meaning “appointment time.” In Korean, case particles attach to the final noun of the noun phrase, so it becomes 약속 시간을 (not 약속을 시간을).

Should it be 약속의 시간 instead of 약속 시간?

No. Native usage strongly prefers noun–noun compounds like 약속 시간 over 약속의 시간. Using 의 here sounds stiff or unnatural in everyday Korean.

Is 결정했어요 the most natural verb here? What about 정했어요 or 잡았어요?

• 정했어요 (from 정하다, “set/decide”) is the most neutral and common with times: 약속 시간을 정했어요.
• 잡았어요 (from 잡다, “fix/set up”) is idiomatic for scheduling: 약속을 잡았어요 or 시간을 잡았어요.
• 결정했어요 is correct but feels a bit heavier/more formal. It’s fine, but many native speakers would say 정했어요 in casual conversation.

Can I drop the object marker and say 약속 시간 결정했어요?

In casual speech or notes/headlines, particles can be dropped and people will understand 약속 시간 결정했어요. In normal writing and most speech, keep 을/를: 약속 시간을 결정했어요 sounds more natural.

What’s the difference between 시간 and 시각? Should it be 약속 시각?

• 시간 is the everyday word for time and duration, and it’s commonly used for a point in time in conversation.
• 시각 is a formal word for an exact point in time. Everyday Korean overwhelmingly says 약속 시간. 약속 시각 is correct but formal.

How do I say what time we decided on?

Use -로 to mark the chosen option:

• 약속 시간을 3시로 결정했어요/정했어요. (We decided on 3 o’clock.) Then, to state the meeting time as a schedule, use -에 with the verb “meet”:
• 3시에 만나기로 했어요. (We decided to meet at 3.)

What’s the difference between 결정하다, 정하다, and 결정되다/정해지다?

• 결정하다: to decide (active; a bit formal/heavy).
• 정하다: to set/decide (active; most common for times).
• 결정되다 / 정해지다: passive forms, “to be decided/set.” Example: 약속 시간이 정해졌어요/결정됐어요 = “The appointment time has been set.”

Could I make the time the topic and say 약속 시간은 결정했어요?

Yes. 약속 시간은 결정했어요 means “As for the appointment time, (we) decided it,” implying other details (place, agenda, etc.) might still be undecided.

What politeness level is -했어요? How do I make it more formal or casual?

• -했어요: polite informal (standard in most situations).
• More formal: -했습니다 → 약속 시간을 결정했습니다.
• Casual/intimate: -했어 → 약속 시간을 결정했어.
• Honorific (subject is someone respected): 결정하셨어요/정하셨어요.

Is there a more natural way to express “we decided to meet” rather than “decided the time”?

Yes. Use -기로 하다:

• 3시에 만나기로 했어요. (We decided to meet at 3.) This pattern is very common for decisions about actions.

How is the sentence pronounced?

Roughly: “yak-sok shi-gan-eul gyeol-jjeong hae-sseo-yo.”

• 약속: [yak-sok]
• 시간을: [shi-gan-eul]
• 결정: [gyeol-jjeong] (the ㅈ sound is tensed to ㅉ)
• 했어요: [hae-sseo-yo] (often heard like [해써요])

Is the spacing 약속시간 or 약속 시간?

Both appear in real life. Style guides generally favor a space for modifier–noun phrases: 약속 시간. Writing 약속시간 as a compound also occurs and isn’t unusual, but 약속 시간 is the safer default in standard writing.

Why not say 약속했어요? Does that mean the same thing?

약속했어요 means “We made a promise/plan (to do something).” It doesn’t explicitly say the time was set. 약속 시간을 정했어요/결정했어요 specifically states the time was decided.

What’s the difference between 약속 and 예약?

• 약속: an arrangement/promise with another person (meetings, hangouts).
• 예약: a reservation with a service/business (restaurant, hospital). So you’d say 약속 시간을 정했어요 (with a friend), but 병원 예약을 했어요 (made a hospital reservation).

Does -었어요 here mean English present perfect (“have decided”)?

Korean -었어요 mainly marks a completed past event and often implies a present result by context. It can map to either simple past (“decided”) or present perfect (“have decided”) in English, depending on the situation.

Is 결정했어요 written as one word or with a space (결정 했어요)?

No space. 결정하다 is a verb, so you write 결정했어요 as one word. Writing 결정 했어요 is incorrect spacing.

Are there other natural collocations for scheduling?

Yes:

• 약속을 잡다/정하다: set up an appointment/plan
• 시간을 정하다/맞추다: set/coordinate a time
• 일정을 조정하다: adjust the schedule

Could I say 약속 시간을 3시로 정해 두었어요? What does -아/어 두다 add?

Yes. -아/어 두다 means “set/decide something and leave it that way (for future convenience).” 약속 시간을 3시로 정해 두었어요 emphasizes it’s been set in advance and is in place.