modality N4 essential casualpolitewritten
つもり — intend to ~
つもり
Meaning
- intend to ~ / plan to ~ / mean to ~ — a settled, considered intention
Key sentence
来年日本に行くつもりです。
I intend to go to Japan next year.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain non-past) | V(plain) + つもり | 買うつもり |
| Negative intention | V-ない + つもり (intend not to) / V(plain) + つもりはない (have no intention) | 行かないつもり / 行くつもりはない |
Examples
今年は車を買うつもりだ。
I plan to buy a car this year.
彼に会うつもりはありません。
I have no intention of meeting him.
そんなつもりじゃなかった。
I didn't mean it that way.
When you can't use it
- つもり describes an intention you have already settled on, not a decision made on the spot. For a choice you make at the moment of speaking, use 〜ことにする or 〜ようと思う instead.
Easily confused with
Notes
- つもり also means 'under the impression that' for something contrary to fact: 払ったつもりだった ('I was sure I'd paid'). Same word, judged from belief rather than plan.
See つもり in real sentences
Jengo shows つもり the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.