oneureun jinjihage gyehoegeul se-uja.

Today let’s make plans seriously.

Breakdown of oneureun jinjihage gyehoegeul se-uja.

• ~을: object particle
• ~은: topic particle
• 오늘: today
• 계획: plan
• 진지하게: seriously
• 세우다: to make

Questions & Answers about oneureun jinjihage gyehoegeul se-uja.

What does the -은 on 오늘은 do? Could I just say 오늘?

• 오늘은 uses the topic/contrast particle -은, giving a nuance like “as for today” or “today at least/especially.”
• 오늘 without a particle works adverbially (“today”) and feels more neutral.
• Both are grammatical:
  • 오늘은 진지하게 계획을 세우자. (As for today, let’s …)
  • 오늘 진지하게 계획을 세우자. (Let’s … today, neutral tone)

Why 진지하게 and not 진지한? How do I say “seriously” in Korean?

• 진지하다 (to be serious) → adverb with -게: 진지하게 (“seriously”).
• 진지한 is the attributive form (“serious” + noun): 진지한 태도 (a serious attitude).
• To modify the verb 세우다 (“to set up/make”), you need the adverb: 진지하게.

Is 진지하게 the same as 심각하게, 제대로, or 진심으로?

• 진지하게: earnestly/with a serious attitude (tone and approach).
• 심각하게: gravely/with gravity (often heavy or urgent situations).
• 제대로: properly/correctly (focus on doing it right).
• 진심으로: sincerely/from the heart (feelings like thanks/apologies). It’s odd with 계획을 세우다.

Why is it 계획을 세우다? Can I say 계획을 만들다 or 계획하다 / 계획을 하다?

• Natural collocations: 계획을 세우다 (“set up a plan”), 계획을 짜다 (“draft/put together a plan”).
• 계획하다 is a verb (“to plan”) and works without an object: 오늘은 진지하게 계획하자. (a bit formal/written).
• 계획을 만들다 is understandable but sounds odd; prefer 세우다/짜다.
• 계획을 하다 is heard in speech, but 세우다/짜다 is more idiomatic.

What does -자 in 세우자 mean exactly? Who can I use it with?

• -(으)자 is the informal propositive: “let’s [do X].”
• Use it with friends/peers or in self-talk, not to superiors/strangers.
• Formation: 세우(다) + 자 → 세우자. (Regular verb; no irregularity.)

How can I make this suggestion more polite or softer?

• Friendly polite: 오늘은 진지하게 계획을 세워요.
• Tentative/soft: 오늘은 진지하게 계획을 세울까요?
• Formal/meeting style: 오늘은 진지하게 계획을 세웁시다.
• Honorific to seniors: 오늘은 진지하게 계획을 세우시죠. / 세우실까요?
• Softer nuance: add 좀/한번/보 → 오늘은 진지하게 계획 좀 세워 볼까요?

Can I change the word order? Where does 진지하게 go?

• Adverbs are flexible. All are fine, with slight emphasis shifts:
  • 오늘은 진지하게 계획을 세우자.
  • 오늘은 계획을 진지하게 세우자.
  • 진지하게 오늘은 계획을 세우자. (fronting the attitude for emphasis)

Can I drop particles here?

• Yes, in casual speech:
  • 오늘 진지하게 계획 세우자.
• Dropping 은/는 removes the contrastive “as for today” nuance.
• Dropping 을/를 is common when the object is obvious; it sounds more brisk/informal.
• Keep particles in careful writing.

Why 을 after 계획 and not 를?

• After a final consonant (받침), use -을; after a vowel, use -를.
• 계획 ends with ㄱ, so 계획을.
  • Examples: 책을 읽자. / 회의를 하자.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence naturally?

• Connected speech (approx.):
  • 오늘은 → [오느른] (o-neu-reun; ㄹ links to the next syllable)
  • 계획을 → [계회글] (gye-hoe-geul; final ㄱ links to 을)
  • 세우자 → [세우자] (se-u-ja)
• Together: roughly [오느른 계회글 세우자].
• Spelling-based romanization: Oneureun gyehoeg-eul seuja (spelling vs sound differ slightly).

How do I say “Let’s not make a plan today”?

• Use -지 말자: 오늘은 진지하게 계획을 세우지 말자.
• Politer options: 세우지 말아요. / 세우지 말까요? / 세우지 맙시다.

Could I say 계획을 세울까? instead? What’s the nuance?

• -ㄹ/을까(요)? makes it a question: “Shall we … ?”
• 오늘은 진지하게 계획을 세울까? is softer/more tentative than 세우자.
• 세울까요? adds politeness.

Can I say 오늘에 instead of 오늘(은)?

• Generally no. 오늘/내일/어제 behave like adverbs and don’t take -에.
• Use 오늘 or 오늘은. 오늘에는 is only for very marked contrast and is rare.

Is 세우다 irregular in any way?

• No. It’s regular:
  • 세워요, 세웠어요, 세울 거예요, 세우자, 세웁시다.
• No stem changes or special rules apply.