Learn Hardcore Korean: jumare chinguwa yeohaeng gyehoegeul sewoyo. - I make travel plans with a friend on the weekend.

The particle -에 marks a time point, so 주말에 means “on/at the weekend.” It answers “when?” You use -에 for specific times or days (e.g., 월요일에, 세 시에). For “for/during (a duration),” use -동안 (e.g., 주말 동안 “for the weekend”).

Why is it 친구와 and not 친구랑 or 친구하고?

와/과 = a bit more formal or written. Use 와 after a vowel and 과 after a consonant (e.g., 친구와, 책과).
하고 = neutral, common in speech.
랑/이랑 = casual, very conversational. All mean roughly “with/and.” In this sentence, 친구와 sounds slightly more neutral/formal.

Does 와/과 mean “with” or “and”?

Both, depending on context:

Comitative “with”: 친구와 갔어요 (I went with a friend).
Coordinating “and”: 사과와 배 (apples and pears). Here, 친구와 clearly means “with (a) friend.”

Is 친구 singular or plural here?

Korean often doesn’t mark plural when it’s obvious from context. 친구 could mean “a friend” or “friends.” If you want to be explicit:

One friend: 친구 한 명과
Friends (plural): 친구들과 or 친구들하고

What does 여행 계획을 세우다 literally mean, and are there simpler alternatives?

Literally, 계획을 세우다 = “to set up/establish a plan,” which idiomatically means “to make plans.”
Natural alternatives:
- 여행을 계획해요 (I plan a trip).
- 여행 계획을 짜요 (I map out/put together travel plans; a bit more colloquial).
- 일정을 짜요/세워요 (I make a schedule/itinerary).
- 여행 갈 계획이에요 (I plan to go on a trip).

Why is it 세워요 and not 세우요?

Because of vowel contraction: 우 + 어요 → 워요.
세우다 + -어요 → 세우어요 → 세워요.
Similar patterns: 배우다 → 배워요, 주다 → 줘요, 오다 → 와요.

What politeness level is 세워요, and what are other forms?

세워요 is polite informal (a.k.a. 해요체). Other common forms:

Formal polite: 세웁니다
Casual/banmal: 세워
Future/intention: 세울 거예요
Willing/volitional (making a promise): 세울게요

Does this mean “this weekend” or “on weekends in general”?

It’s ambiguous without context. Korean present tense can be near-future or habitual. To be clear:

This weekend: 이번 주말에
On weekends (in general): 주말에는 (topic marker emphasizes the general/habitual reading), often with 보통/항상.

Can I change the word order?

Yes; Korean word order is flexible, especially because particles mark roles. All of these are fine:

주말에 친구와 여행 계획을 세워요.
친구와 주말에 여행 계획을 세워요.
여행 계획을 주말에 친구와 세워요. Keep the object phrase 여행 계획 together, and the verb typically comes last.

Why is it 계획을 and not 계획를?

Object particles alternate for euphony:

After a consonant: -을 (e.g., 계획 ends with ㄱ → 계획을)
After a vowel: -를 (e.g., 여행 ends with ᄋ (no final consonant) → 여행을)

Why not say 주말에서?

-에서 marks a location where an action occurs (“at/in a place”), not a time point. For time, use -에. You can combine both:

주말에 집에서 친구와 여행 계획을 세워요. (“On the weekend, at home, I make travel plans with a friend.”)

Could I just say “plan a trip” another way?

Yes:

여행을 계획해요 (plan a trip)
여행 갈 계획이에요 (I’m planning to go on a trip)
여행 계획 중이에요 (I’m in the middle of planning a trip)
Note: 여행을 세워요 is not idiomatic; use 계획/일정 with 세우다/짜다.

Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?

주말에: ju-mal-e
친구와: chin-gu-wa
여행: yeo-haeng
계획을: gye-hoe-geul; the ㅚ/회 is often pronounced like “we/weh,” so you’ll hear something like “gye-hwek-eul.”
세워요: se-wo-yo (the “wo” is the contracted ㅝ sound)

Is the spacing in 여행 계획 correct?

Yes. 여행 계획 (with a space) is the standard spacing. You may see 여행계획 in headlines or informal writing, but the spaced form is recommended in modern standard Korean.

Can I drop the object particle 을 in speech?

Often, yes. In casual speech, particles are frequently dropped when the meaning is clear:

여행 계획 세워요. (understood as “make travel plans”) For careful or formal writing, keep the particle: 여행 계획을 세워요.

Who is the subject here—“I” or “we”?

Korean commonly omits the subject when it’s clear from context. Here it can be understood as “I” (with a friend) or effectively “we” (the speaker and the friend). If you want to be explicit:

I: 저는 주말에 친구와 … 세워요.
We: 우리는 주말에 … 세워요. You can also add 같이 to stress “together”: 친구와 같이 … 세워요.