～つもり (intend to)

• Reading: つもり
• Romaji: tsumori
• Formation: Verb dictionary form + つもり / Verb-ない + つもり

Meaning

Expresses the speaker's intention or firm plan to do something. It follows the dictionary form of a verb for affirmative intentions and the ない-form for negative intentions.

つもり conveys a settled intention or plan that the speaker has already decided on. It can also express a belief or conviction about a state of affairs when used with た-form or adjectives, as in 読んだつもり (I thought I had read it). For past intentions that were not fulfilled, つもりだった is used. The negative intention can be formed as ないつもり or るつもりはない, with the latter being slightly stronger and more emphatic. Compared to ようと思う, つもり suggests a more definite, already-resolved decision.

Examples

1. 来年日本に留学するつもりです。 I intend to study abroad in Japan next year.
2. 週末は家で勉強するつもりだ。 I plan to study at home on the weekend.
3. あの映画は見ないつもりです。 I don't intend to watch that movie.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: declarative

Do Say

• 大学を卒業したら就職するつもりです。
• 明日の朝は六時に起きるつもりだ。
• しばらくお酒を飲まないつもりです。

Don't Say

• 明日は行ったつもりです。(For future plans, use the dictionary form: 行くつもりです — た-form + つもり means 'I believe I went') → 明日は行くつもりです。
• 彼は来るつもりです。(つもり is mainly used for the speaker's own intention — for third persons, add らしい or と言っている) → 彼は来るつもりらしいです。

Origin & History

つもり originally comes from the noun 積もり, meaning 'accumulation' or 'estimation,' which extended metaphorically to express one's calculated intention.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal