English translation:
to decide on
have decided to
Structure:
Verb + ことにする
Verb[ ない ] + ことにする
Explanation:
[one is resolved in their decision to do something]
According to MaggieSensei, when we have Verb[た] + ことにする, it means to pretend rather than to decide. For example:
このレッスン、みんな私が作ったことにしてね。
means “let’s say I made this lesson” or “let’s pretend I made this lesson.” I wasn’t able to find this nuance of “pretend that” anywhere. If this nuance is not exposed anywhere else on the site, I would recommend either splitting ことにする into two grammar points or adding a note that when preceded by present progressive or past tense, it means to pretend to.
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Hey 
We have it on our to do list already 
It will be eventually added 
Thanks for pointing that out!
Cheers!
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What’s the difference between these two? One is present tense, one is past tense. What’s the nuance? Why are both translated as “have decided”?
この商品、無料で配ることにします。
I have decided to hand out this product for free.
毎日、数分文法を勉強することにした。
I have decided to study grammar for a few minutes every day.
@FredKore Hi!
TL;DR
ことにします - I have decided that this is what I will do.
ことにしました - I have decided to…
この商品、無料で配ることにします。 is closer to “I have decided that this is what I will do,” while 毎日、数分文法を勉強することにした。is simply “I have decided to do this.” Verb[る] + ことにする places more emphasis on the future, while ことにした is better interpreted as having made a decision.
While the two are generally interchangeable, ことにした sounds more definitive as it is in the past and is “set in stone,” while ことにする may not be as confident of a decision.
Cheers!
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This link has a good explaination of the differences in tense.
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Any update when this grammar point will be added? It should be N2/N1 (according to the Try N2 book or JLPT Sensei).
I’ve run into some sources which say (example) that ことにしている means “do something as a regular practice,” while ことにする or ことにした is “decide(d) to do.”
I’m curious about how the difference in tenses play out in this example:
Could we assume that, in the second, the speaker has decided to make telling lies on April Fool’s day a regular thing now?
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The difference between 事にする and 事になる?
Looking at the examples, is it true that 事ことにする would be used for someone specific, like me,they,her,she,them for example? And ことになる would be used for some indirect unmentioned person or thing that did the deciding?