ことにする (koto ni suru) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Decide To
Anna Baffa Volpe
Get in touch with meThe expression ことにする (koto ni suru
) means decide to do something
and it is also used in the past tense have made the decision to do
.
In a previous post we studied the form ことになる used for actions that don't depend on our will, but occur as a result of external decisions and circumstances.
In this post we learn more about the meaning of ことにする, how it is formed and when ことにする is used through real example sentences.
ことにする, decide to do something
With the expression ことにする we talk about something we decide to do or we decided to do by our will, we chose or choose to do that action.
自分の意志, our own will
海外旅行することにしました。
I have decided to travel abroad..
How ことにする is formed
The expression ことにする is formed:
- by the noun 事
thing
,matter
,situation
- by the particle に
- and by the verb する
do
今日は早く寝ることにする。
Today I'll go to bed early.
Past tense
We use the past tense to express actions decided before the moment of speaking.
I decided that
: we use the past tense of the verb する.
- plain form ことにする ⇨ ことにした
- and polite form ことにします ⇨ ことにしました
日本へ留学することにしました。
I have decided to go to Japan to study.
する and なる: do and become
It is important to compare these two verbs used in many Japanese expressions.
- する is the transitive verb
do
, it is translateddoing something
- なる is intrasitive and means
become
, therefore it refers to something that depends on external causes
We find the same nuances in the expression we are analysing:
- ことになる indicates something that occurs due to external causes, comes from situations and decisions external to us:
it is deduced that
,it emerges that
,it is decided that
. - ことにする is personal and indicates something we decide and plan:
decide to
.
Negative form:
The negative form applies to the verb preceding こと and uses the suffix ない.
パーティーへ行かないことにした。
I have decided not to go to the party.
今日は疲れているから出ないことにする。
I'm tired today, so I won't go out.
寝る前にコーヒーを飲まないことにした。
I have decided not to drink coffee before going to bed.
ことにしている and the regular practices
ことにする is also used in the form ている, that is the て form of the verb and the auxiliary いる.
It is used to describe actions that one decides to perform with regularity and that are part of one's daily routine.
毎日30分はジョギングすることにしています。
I go jogging 30 minute every day (as a regular practice).
Let' pretend that...
ことにする has another nuance of meaning in Japanese that we can translate let's pretend that
.
見なかったことにしよう。
Let's pretend we didn't see it!
In this case we can find the verb preceding こと in the past tense.
Examples of ことにする
我々の会社はアメリカに支社を作ることにしました。
Our company has decided to establish a branch office in America.
一日に1回、ハーブティーを飲むことにしています。
I drink herbal tea once a day.
それまでの間はホテルにいることにする。
In the meantime, I'll stay at the hotel.
Similar grammar points in Japanese 📚
に対する
に対する (ni taisuru) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Towards
に対しての
に対しての (ni taishite no) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Towards
に対しても
に対しても (ni taishite mo) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Even Towards
に対して
に対して (ni taishite) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Towards
に対しては
に対しては (ni taishite wa) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Towards
こそ
こそ (koso) Meaning Japanese Grammar - For Sure