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I'm currently reading this article

Which has the following sentence:

インドで人気がある小さい炊飯器を輸出する予定です。

My translation: There is a plan to export small rice cookers, which have become popular in India.

The sentence ends with 予定です but I don't understand why. I would expect it to end with 予定があります instead. Since for me 予定があります would translate to "there is a plan", where just 予定です would be "it's a plan"

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  • The copula だ (and all its variations like です, である, etc) usually can be translated as the verb "to be". Example: 私は学生です( I am a student). But the copula だ can also be used to simplify the sentence and replace other verbs. Example: 私はコーヒーを飲む。家内は紅茶だ。(I drink coffee. My wife drinks tea). 家内は紅茶だ does not mean "My wife is tea". だ here is replacing the verb "drink". As long as it can be understood from the context, you can use だ to replace other verbs You could say 予定があります or 予定をしました. But most Japanese people will simplify the sentence and say 予定だ。 ejje.weblio.jp/sentence/content/予定である
    – hisao m
    Commented Oct 1, 2018 at 21:47

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～予定です is like "is planned"

eg:

外食する予定です。

I plan to eat out.

lit: "eating out is planned"

～予定があります is like "there are plans"

eg:

その日は予定があります。

I have plans on that day.

lit: "on the topic of that day, there are plans"

So, applying this logic to your example sentence:

It is planned to export small rice cookers popular in India.

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  • As soon as I read that first line everything hit me like a ton of bricks. Makes total sense. Thanks!
    – Tylersanzura
    Commented Oct 1, 2018 at 12:47
  • "今日の午後医者へ行く予定にしている" is translated in Reverso by 'I'm going to go to the doctor this afternoon.' I conclude that 予定する is near-grammaticalized, because it sometimes can be used as a near future conjugation marker, like in the former example.
    – Starckman
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 13:05

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