Japanese - Making Plans

Lesson 129 of 168

Two friends checking a map and planning a meet-up in Japanese — making plans and agreeing on place and time.

Goal: Polite phrases to suggest, confirm, and postpone plans

Free Japanese lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Welcome! This short lesson helps you propose and confirm simple social plans with polite Japanese. Try to listen, repeat, and speak each phrase aloud.

Level A2: Lesson 129 focuses on polite, everyday phrases for making plans — proposing activities, checking times or places, confirming, and postponing. You'll practice core frames like “___に着きます。” and “___の近くで会えますか。” in short dialogues and quick drills. (CEFR-aligned vocabulary and phrases.)

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Practice polite phrases to suggest and confirm meeting times and places.
  • Be able to accept or postpone a plan politely.
  • Use simple activity suggestions like “___のはどうですか。” in conversation.
A friendly daytime scene near a station with Japanese phrases for meeting times and locations — lesson about making plans.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

___に着きます。

___ ni tsukimasu.

I'll be there at ___.

Meaning: I'll be there at ___.

When to use: Put a time before に to say when you will arrive (e.g., 3時に着きます). Use this to confirm your arrival time.

Tip: Don't put a place before に in this phrase; for a place usually say 「___に行きます。」

午後6時に着きます。

Gogo roku-ji ni tsukimasu.

I'll arrive at 6 p.m.
新幹線で、午後3時に着きます。

Shinkansen de, gogo san-ji ni tsukimasu.

By bullet train, I'll arrive at 3 p.m.

___の近くで会えますか。

___ no chikaku de aemasu ka.

Can we meet somewhere near ___?

Meaning: Can we meet somewhere near ___?

When to use: Insert a station or place name in the blank to ask if meeting nearby is possible.

東京駅の近くで会えますか。

Tōkyō-eki no chikaku de aemasu ka.

Can we meet near Tokyo Station?
図書館の近くで会えますか。

Toshokan no chikaku de aemasu ka.

Can we meet near the library?

いいですね

Ii desu ne.

Sounds good to me.

Meaning: Sounds good to me.

When to use: Use this to accept a suggestion cheerfully in polite speech.

土曜日に映画を見に行くのは、いいですね。

Doyōbi ni eiga o mi ni iku no wa, ii desu ne.

Going to the movies on Saturday sounds good.
カフェで会うの、いいですね。

Kafe de au no, ii desu ne.

Meeting at the café sounds good.

また今度にしましょう。

Mata kondo ni shimashō.

Maybe another time.

Meaning: Maybe another time.

When to use: A soft, polite way to decline or postpone an invitation without strong refusal.

ごめんなさい、今週は忙しいです。 また今度にしましょう。

Gomen nasai, konshū wa isogashii desu. Mata kondo ni shimashō.

Sorry, I'm busy this week. Maybe another time.
予定が重なったので、今回はまた今度にしましょう。

Yotei ga kasanatta node, konkai wa mata kondo ni shimashō.

Plans overlapped, so let's do it another time.

また連絡します。

Mata renraku shimasu.

I'll let you know.

Meaning: I'll let you know.

When to use: Use this when you can't decide yet and will contact the other person later.

Tip: Don't assume it sets a definite time — it's a promise to follow up, not a confirmed plan.

時間が確定したら、また連絡します。

Jikan ga kakutei shitara, mata renraku shimasu.

I'll contact you once the time is fixed.
場所を調べて、また連絡します。

Basho o shirabete, mata renraku shimasu.

I'll check the place and let you know.

___のはどうですか。

___ no wa dō desu ka.

We could ___ .

Meaning: We could ___. / How about ___?

When to use: Insert a verb in dictionary form (action) in the blank to suggest an activity, e.g., 映画を見るのはどうですか。

週末にハイキングをするのはどうですか。

Shūmatsu ni haikingu o suru no wa dō desu ka.

How about going hiking this weekend?
夕ご飯に寿司を食べるのはどうですか。

Yūgohan ni sushi o taberu no wa dō desu ka.

How about eating sushi for dinner?

___で大丈夫ですか。

___ de daijōbu desu ka.

Is ___ okay for you?

Meaning: Is ___ okay for you?

When to use: Put a time, place, or method in the blank to check if that option works (e.g., 7時で大丈夫ですか).

午後2時で大丈夫ですか。

Gogo ni-ji de daijōbu desu ka.

Is 2 p.m. okay?
駅前のカフェで大丈夫ですか。

Ekimae no kafe de daijōbu desu ka.

Is the café in front of the station okay?

___はどうですか。

___ wa dō desu ka.

What about ___?

Meaning: What about ___?

When to use: Use this to offer an alternative time, place, or plan. Put the option after the blank.

Tip: Be careful: this suggests an alternative, not a final confirmation.

来週の土曜日はどうですか。

Raishū no doyōbi wa dō desu ka.

What about next Saturday?
もっと早い時間はどうですか。

Motto hayai jikan wa dō desu ka.

What about an earlier time?

じゃあ、それで決まりですね。

Jā, sore de kimari desu ne.

It's a plan.

Meaning: It's a plan.

When to use: Use this after everyone agrees to confirm that the plan is decided.

明日の午後3時、駅で待ち合わせ。じゃあ、それで決まりですね。

Ashita no gogo san-ji, eki de machiawase. Jā, sore de kimari desu ne.

Meeting at the station tomorrow at 3 p.m. Great, it's a plan.
場所と時間が決まりましたね。じゃあ、それで決まりですね。

Basho to jikan ga kimarimashita ne. Jā, sore de kimari desu ne.

Place and time are set. So it's decided.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna and David finalize a meetup time and place.

Anna and David discussing where and when to meet in Japanese, showing polite plan-making phrases.

Did they decide on a time and place?

Portrait of Anna in a Japanese lesson dialogue

Anna

渋谷で映画を見るのはどうですか？

Shibuya de eiga o miru no wa dō desu ka?

How about watching a movie in Shibuya?

Portrait of David in a Japanese lesson dialogue

David

いいですね。何時に会いますか？

Ii desu ne. Nan-ji ni aimasu ka?

Sounds good. What time shall we meet?

Portrait of Anna in a Japanese lesson dialogue

Anna

午後7時に着きます。駅の近くで会えますか。

Gogo shichi-ji ni tsukimasu. Eki no chikaku de aemasu ka.

I'll arrive at 7 p.m. Can we meet near the station?

Portrait of David in a Japanese lesson dialogue

David

駅前のカフェで大丈夫ですか。じゃあ、それで決まりですね。

Ekimae no kafe de daijōbu desu ka. Jā, sore de kimari desu ne.

Is the café in front of the station okay? Great, it's a plan.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

You will arrive at 5 p.m. Which Japanese sentence correctly says that?

Which phrase asks if meeting near a place is possible?

Someone suggests a time and you want to check it’s okay. Which fits?

After everything is agreed, which phrase confirms the plan?

Let's set the meetup time. I will arrive at 7 p.m.

待ち合わせの時間を決めよう。私は___

Asking for the meeting place: Can we meet near Shinjuku Station?

待ち合わせ場所を聞きます：新宿駅の___

Suggesting a weekend plan: How about watching a movie?

週末の予定を提案します：映画を見る___

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

___に着きます。

___ ni tsukimasu.

I'll be there at ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___の近くで会えますか。

___ no chikaku de aemasu ka.

Can we meet near ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

いいですね

Ii desu ne.

Sounds good to me.

Say this phrase out loud:

また今度にしましょう。

Mata kondo ni shimashō.

Maybe another time.

Say this phrase out loud:

また連絡します。

Mata renraku shimasu.

I'll let you know.

Say this phrase out loud:

___のはどうですか。

___ no wa dō desu ka.

We could ___. / How about ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

___で大丈夫ですか。

___ de daijōbu desu ka.

Is ___ okay for you?

Say this phrase out loud:

___はどうですか。

___ wa dō desu ka.

What about ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

じゃあ、それで決まりですね。

Jā, sore de kimari desu ne.

It's a plan.