予定だ|よていだ
Expresses that something is planned or scheduled. The plan is presented as an arrangement or expected course of events rather than a mere wish, though it need not be final. Often translated 'plan to', 'be scheduled to', 'be due to', or 'be supposed to'.
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予定だ is neutral in register and used in both conversation and writing for schedules, trips, events, and other planned arrangements. 予定です is common in polite speech and business contexts. It sounds more objective than personal-intention expressions such as つもり, because it presents the matter as a plan or schedule. The plan may be firmly set or still tentative.
Do not attach 予定 to the ます-form; say 出張する予定です, not 出張します予定です.
Note that 予定だった often implies the plan did not happen or was changed.
Note that 行く予定はない means 'I have no plans to go', while 行かない予定だ means 'I plan not to go'.
- つもりN5「つもり」expresses the speaker's subjective intention and can be used even for plans not yet settled, while 「予定だ」refers to an already-scheduled plan. The past tense of both can indicate that an original plan fell through, and 「つもり」additionally has a 'thinking (mistakenly) that' meaning.
- ようと思うN4「ようと思う」attaches to the volitional form of a verb and expresses the speaker's subjective intention, including something just thought of and not yet decided; for a fixed schedule, 「予定だ」is appropriate. To describe someone else's intention, use 「ようと思っている」.
- ことになるN4「ことになる」emphasizes that something was decided by others, an organization, or circumstances; when reporting arrangements it can replace 「予定だ」, but 「予定だ」merely states an established schedule. 「ことになる」also has a calculation meaning and cannot directly follow a noun.
- ことにするN4「ことにする」emphasizes that the subject made a decision by their own will, with 「ことにした」describing the decision itself; 「予定だ」states an already-scheduled plan and is more objective. 「ことにする」also has a 'treat as / pretend that' meaning, which 「予定だ」lacks.
- はずだN4「はずだ」expresses an inference based on reasons or common sense, while 「予定だ」states a plan, arrangement, or schedule fixed in advance. 「はずだ」can also attach to adjectives and the past tense. The 「だった」form of both can indicate that an original plan or expectation fell through.
Unlike つもり and ようと思う, which express the speaker's personal intention, 予定だ presents a plan or schedule more objectively. ことにする and ことになる focus on who made the decision (oneself vs. others or circumstances), while はずだ expresses an expectation based on reasoning rather than a plan.
