Planning: ～つもりだ

In this lesson, we will learn about the grammatical pattern ～つもりだ, which translates into English as “to plan on…”

つもり derives from the 連用形 of 積もる. This verb’s meaning of “to estimate”¹ is where つもり’s ability to denote future planning derives. It is this meaning of “to plan/intend on” that is heavily focused on and usually introduced early on in Japanese studies.

1. 人形を買うつもりだ。
I intend on buying a doll.

2. 今年、イタリアへ旅行するつもりです。
This year, I plan on traveling to Italy.

While sentences like these largely represent how ～つもりだ is typically used, it is not difficult to find examples which do not seem to behave like Exs 1-2.

3. 気持ちはまだ２０代のつもりだ。
I still feel like I’m in my 20s.

4. あれ、ケータイがない。ここに置いたつもりだけど。
Huh, my phone isn’t here. I could’ve sworn I placed it here, though.

5. 本人は標準語のつもりでも、イントネーションがどうしてもね・・・
Even when the person is under the impression that he himself is speaking in Standard Japanese, his intonation always begs to differ……

Moreover, there are so many sentences that can be made which do not follow the simple pattern of “Verb (Non-Past + ～つもりだ)” as well as sentences in which ～つもり does not even necessarily pertain to intent.

Verb (non-Past) + ～つもりだ

Accounting for the majority of examples involving this pattern, “Verb (Non-Past) + ～つもりだ” typically indicates future action of the agent of the sentence.

These statements with ～つもりだ regarding future action are nearly interchangeable with the notion of “will…,” and as such, in the first person only, there is interchangeability between ～つもりだ and the “volitional form + ～と思う.”

6a. 僕は、来年、バルセロナ大学に留学するつもりだ。
I plan on studying abroad at the University of Barcelona next year.

6b. 僕は、来年、バルセロナ大学に留学しようと思う。
I’m thinking about studying abroad at the University of Barcelona next year.

6c. 彼女は来年、バルセロナ大学に留学しようと｛思う X・思っている〇｝。
She is thinking about studying abroad at the University of Barcelona next year.

Interchangeability, however, should never be misconstrued as suggesting that two structures are exactly the same. Ex. 6a and Ex. 6b demonstrate that the primary meaning of ～つもりだ is volition to the point that translating both as meaning “I will…” would not be entirely incorrect. The difference in implication is that the speaker in Ex. 6a. would presumably have been “planning” the event for a period of time, whereas the volition≈intent implied by Ex. 6b could be spontaneous for all we know. Ex. 6c. then reinforces the consequence that grammatical person has for structures pertaining to volition, which is that declarative statements are limited to the first person in ordinary language.

It must be noted that the extent as to which either of these patterns denote “volition” does not exceed that of a simple declarative. Compare the following.

7a. 新生活にあたって洗濯機を購入するつもりです。
I plan to buy a washing machine to mark this new chapter in my life.

7b. 新生活にあたって洗濯機を購入しようと思っています。
I’m thinking of buying a washing machine to mark this new chapter in my life.

7c. 新生活にあたって洗濯機を購入します。
I will buy a washing machine to mark this new chapter in my life.

Incidentally, not all statements made with “Verb (Non-Past) + ～つもりだ” necessarily indicate volition, but rather, “conviction.” In these scenarios, the speaker/agent is under the strong belief that an action or state they are a part in serves/served the stated purpose, which is intrinsically related to the notion of intending for something to be the case.

8. 清水の舞台から飛び降りるつもりで赤い電車に乗った。
I boarded the red train with a leap of faith.
Literally: I boarded the red train with the conviction one would have to jump off from the height of Kiyomizu Temple’s Main Hall.
From 『赤い電車は未知への一歩でした』by 彩ノ木フジ子

While this example can be viewed as being metaphorical and not indicative of a literal plan, when the tense of the verb does happen to be marked by ～ている・た・ていた, the meaning of ～つもりだ does switch entirely to that of “conviction,” as it is then established that the “intent” did not or is not coming into fruition as intended.

9. セス先生とレッスンの予約をしているつもりだった。
I was under the impression that I had reserved lesson time with Seth-sensei (but I didn’t).

10. 先生になったつもりでこのパターンを説明しましょう。
Let’s try explaining this pattern as if we were the teacher.

11. 解りやすく書いていたつもりですが、真逆でした。
I had thought I was writing in a way that would be easy to understand, but I was doing the exact opposite.

Given that the meaning of “conviction” derives from niche environments pertaining to the speaker’s intent, let’s take a few steps back to address the wealth of grammatical complexity that can exist before and after ～つもり, as it is neither limited to verbs in the non-past tense before it nor is it limited to the copula in the non-past tense after it.

As for what may occur before ～つもり, we already know that both the non-past and past tenses may occur before it, but it is not restricted to verbs. In fact, nouns and even demonstratives, namely その, can fill that role if said words can semantically stand for a motive. That being said, the element preceding ～つもり will be denoted as X so as not to exclude non-verbal components.

There is also the issue of negation, which can be marked before and after ～つもり, of course with different meanings, as well as the issue of what sort of things can be used in place of the copula, which mostly include the usual suspects such as but not excluded to: ～でいる, ～になる, ～にする, ～をする, etc.

Noun ＋のつもりだ

When what precedes ～つもりだ is a noun, while it is often the case that the noun + の is used in lieu of a verbal phrase to denote volition (intent), it is still possible for the noun to instead denote conviction.

12. きょうは疲れてるから、明日のつもりだ。
I’m tired today, so I’ll do it tomorrow.

13. お前、何様のつもりだ？
Who do you think you are?

14. うちのいとこはさ、もう大人のつもりなんだよな。
So, my cousin… he thinks he’s an adult already, you see.

X ～つもりをする

When ～つもり is followed by ～をする, the speaker is indicating that they are beginning to prepare themselves mentally to carry out X.

15. そのつもりをしておいてください。
Please prepare yourself for that (aim).

16. 毎月、すこしずつ貯金をして、ヒマラヤに登るつもりをしているんです。
I’m saving up a little every month with the aim of climbing the Himalayas.

X～つもりにする

When ～つもり is followed by ～にする, the pattern can be viewed in a similar light to ～ことにする but with the substitution of こと for つもり indicating that X is a temporary decision at best or the current goal in mind that is still subject to change. When ～にする is swapped out for ～にしている, that temporary status of the goal is maintained over a longer span of time, and the agent will still aim to achieve that goal, but the goal could still be rendered mute down the line. Note that both ～にする and ～にしている could be seen in the past tense as ～にした～ and にしていた respectively after ～つもり provided that said tense dynamic is warranted.

17. 切ったつもりにしていたことを伝えて、きちんと謝っていれば、それほど悲観的にならなくてもいいと思いますが。
As long as you explain that you had intended to turn off (your phone) and apologize properly, I don’t think there’s any need to have such a gloomy outlook.

18. ヒマラヤに登るつもりにしていますが、お金が貯まるかどうかですねえ。
I’m doing what I can to climb the Himalayas, but whether I save up the money for it or not, well…

19. 大学を受けるつもりにしたけど、受かるかどうかわからないよ。
Well, I’ve planned on taking the college entrance exam, but whether I get in or not, I’m not sure.

20. 今の時点で１２月以降の契約を更新しないつもりにしているのであれば、今のうちから使うべきだと思います。
If you’re planning on not renewing your contract after December, I think you should start using up (what you have with your contact) now.

X～つもりになる

When ～つもり is followed by ～になる, barring exceptional cases of denoting “conviction” like above, the speaker describes naturally becoming in the mood to do X.

21. その大義のために死ぬつもりになったのである。
I had become willing to die for that cause.

22. 自分自身をとことん探るつもりになったほうがいいかもしれません。
Perhaps you should be willing to explore yourself at a deeper level.

This is also similar to ～つもりにさせられる, but in this situation, there is an outside agent causing such a change in mood regarding one’s intent. It is worth noting, though, that the overt mentioning of causation by a third party in such a light is not so common in Japanese discourse, but when the speaker wishes to implicate that entity, then, of course, the statement ought to be viable (Ex. 23b).

23a. これだけ勧められると、買うつもりになりますね。
23b. これだけ勧められると、買うつもりにさせられますね。
23a. With it being recommended to this degree, one would find themselves banking on buying it, huh.
23b. With it being recommended to this degree, (anyone) would find themselves being shifted to planning on buying it.

X～つもりでいる

When ～つもり is followed by ～でいる, it is understood that the agent has been in the mindset of carrying out X and is very much still in that mindset.

24. もちろん、僕が支払うつもりでいます。
Of course, I am always of the mindset to be the one who pays.

25. 私自身、それを正面から受けて立つつもりでいます。
I am always of the mindset to face those challenges head-on.

26. これからも皆さんにできるだけ楽しんでいただけるような記事を書くつもりでおります。
I remain steadfast in writing articles that are as enjoyable to read as possible for you all.

27. 毎月、少しずつ貯金をして、バルセロナへ旅行するつもりでいるんです。
I am very much always in the mindset of saving a little each month for traveling to Barcelona.

～つもりか

When ～つもりだ is used in an interrogative sentence (question), it invokes a yes/no-style response. As such, the speaker is very much diving into personal matters more often than not, which is why many textbooks shy learners away from using it, even in polite speech, since more like than not the sentences that a learner would create with this pattern would still sound rude and inappropriate. Nonetheless, in the real world, people are rude, and if they are not being overtly rude, there is also such thing as rhetorical questions, venting, being snobby, etc.

28. わかってるって！この子を置いてくつもりか！
I know, I know! But are we just gonna leave this kid behind?!

29. ここで床に伏せたまま、ただ隠れているつもりか？
Are you just going to lie on the floor and hide?

When ～つもり is used to refer to conviction in a question, which would be deduced by the use of the past tense before it, the question itself would sound especially critical of the asker to ask. These sorts of questions are especially rhetorical and need not even directly aimed at the person in question to hold the same effect.

30. アニメのヒーローにでもなったつもりかい？
Does he think he’s become some sort of anime hero?

31. 彼はギャンブルの胴元にでもなるつもりかね。
Does he intend to be some kind of gambling bookie?

Now, questions formed with ～つもり need not always be rude, but because one is still directly asking someone as to whether they have such intentions or not, such wording should not be directed at superiors.

31. 留学するつもりはありますか。
Do you have intentions of studying abroad?

Even when ～つもり is refitted to sound more polite, phrasing it out will certainly be more “polite,” as ～つもり still seeks a direct, yes/no-style response from the listener.

32a. 今度の総選挙、投票するおつもりなのですか？
32b. 今度の総選挙、投票しようと思っていらっしゃるのですか？
32a. Do you intend on voting in this upcoming general election?
32b. Are you thinking of voting in this upcoming general election?

～つもりだった

Simply put, the agent intended to do X. It would be presumed, though, that X did not actually occur.

33. もっと早く帰るつもりでした。
I planned on coming home earlier.

34. そんなつもりじゃなかったよ。
I didn’t mean that.

35. あ、わかっていたら、食べないつもりだったの。
Oh no, had I know that, I would have had no intention of eating it.

Here in Ex. 35, even though the intend of not doing X is predicated by a conditional, the sentence simply ends with ～つもりだった. But, because the sentence is ～ないつりだった and not “affirmative non-past + ～つもりだった,” we can deduce that the speaker/agent did, in fact, eat whatever it is that is being discussed.

This example also clues us into how when “non-past + ～つもりだった” ends a sentence, it is not necessarily so much the case that the speaker/agent’s volition is being conveyed, but rather the intention of the agent has been deduced. This means third person agents can be utilized so long as the discussions pertain to one’s ingroup.

36. 田中君は出張するつもりだった。
Tanaka-kun had planned to go on a business trip.

This deduction can be quite pinpointed and still be valid, as the modality of the statement no longer pertains to the agent’s desire so much that it declares who the agent was intended to be in the greater context.

37. 田中が北京へ出張するつもりだった。
It was Tanaka who was to go on the business trip to Beijing.

In Exs. 36-37, つもり appears oddly similar to ～はずだ (topic of our next lesson), but ～つもり does not entail obligation, and ～はずだ would not capture the emotional state of those in one’s ingroup as we can sense from these two examples.

Of course, when the volition of outgroup third person entities are invoked, we see evidentials like ～みたい・らしい spring up as per usual in Japanese grammar.

38. お電話して確認してみたら、百合子のお母さん、パジャマは貸すつもりだったみたいよ。
When I called to confirm, Yuriko’s mom had every intention of lending (you) pajamas.

～ないつもりだ VS ～つもり｛は・が｝ない VS ～つもりではない

When negation is placed before ～つもり, the speaker wishes to make clear that the intent is NOT to carry out X, which is NOT the same as saying that one has no intent of doing X, as the latter necessitates that X is already established to be negated, whereas this is not a prerequisite for establishing one’s course of action as being an inaction. If this seems all convoluted, consider the difference between the two scenarios in English:

Scenario A: Seth has thought about moving to Tokyo, but after having gone and not found any particular neighborhood to his liking, he decides to stay in the States for a little bit longer. This means that, for the time being, he intends to NOT move to Tokyo.
Negation Pattern: ～ないつもりだ

Scenario B: Seth’s friends are all wondering when and if he plans on moving to Tokyo. Seth’s answer is simple: no, he has no intention of moving to Tokyo.
Negation Pattern: ～つもりはない

Scenario B’: Seth’s friends are all itching to know when Seth is moving to Tokyo. Seth’s answer is a resounding no with no intention as is being stated.
Negation Pattern: ～つもりがない

Scenario C: Seth does intend on moving, but everyone is getting a detail or two wrong. He is not moving to Tokyo, but rather, back to his hometown in Texas.
Negation Pattern: ～つもりではない

39. 彼女に従うつもりはない。
I have no intention of obeying her.

40. タバコをやめるつもりはない。
I have no intention of quitting smoking.

41. 彼はこのころになって、自分はこのままロンドンに腰を落ち着けるつもりにしていること、また最初からグラスゴーへ帰るつもりはなかったことを私に打ち明けた。
By this time, he had confined in me that he planned to settle in London and that he had never intended to return to Glasgow.

42. 仕事見つかるまでは引っ越さないつもりだよ。
I plan on not moving until I find a job.

43. 今の地域が気に入っていて、引っ越すつもりがない。
I like my current area and have no plans to move.

44. そういうつもりじゃない！
That’s not what I mean/intend to do!

45. いや,今度は最低5年は引っ越すつもりはないんだ。
No, I’m not moving again for at least five years.

46. まさか引っ越すつもりじゃないだろうな？
Don’t tell me; you’re not planning to move, are you?

47. すぐ引っ越すつもりではないです。
I’m not planning to move anytime soon.

48. 宗教には入るつもりがないなら、絶対に断るべきです！
If you don’t intend on joining a religion, you should definitely say no!

49. その後の付き合いはまったくするつもりがないので、一定の距離をとって今まで付き合ってきました。
I have no intention of continuing our relationship after that point in time, so I’ve been keeping my distance from them up until now.

50. 僕は興味のないものを勉強するつもりはありません。
I have no intention of studying something that doesn’t interest me.

Of course, any of these patterns can be adapted into the past tense as “not having been the case,” with tense being marked in the main clause as opposed to the subordinate clause marked by ～つもり, as such tense marking would trigger the “conviction” meaning of ～つもり, which we will be going into depth properly next.

51. 自分では、そんなつもりはありませんでした。
As for me, I had no such intentions.

52. 二度と同じことを繰り返すつもりはなかったのだ。
I never intended to that same thing twice, I assure you.

53. ごめんなさい、怒らせるつもりじゃなかったの。
I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to upset you.

54. 二度と会わないつもりだった。
I never intended to see (them) again.

Conviction: ～たつもりだ（った）

When the speaker indicates that their aim was to do X, but that is not what happened to be the case, we see just how “intent” does not necessarily turn out as planned. Take, for instance, this next example in which the speaker thinks they did (the conviction) X but is now unsure.

55. きのう、私が最後でしたから、帰るとき、電気を消したつもりでしたが、消えていなかったというんです。また誰かがつけたのでしょうか。
Well, I was the last one there, so when I left, I thought I had turned off the lights, but they’re saying that they weren’t turned off. Maybe someone had turned them on again?

The speaker’s wording, as indicated by つもり suggests that not only did they intent to turn off the lights but that they are largely convinced of having done so, but they are not 100% sure of that. Now, as for why でした is invoked, that is because the whole statement is an affirmation of a past event, with the event no longer pertaining to “the now.”

56. しまった、目覚ましが鳴って起きたつもりなのに、もう１１時回ってる！
Damnit, I thought I’d wake up to my alarm once it went off, but it’s already past 11 o’clock!

When used in second person in questioning, the speaker can quite poignantly cast doubt on the doer’s state of mind/conviction.

57.「それで、説明したつもりなんですか」「ええ、説明したつもりなんですけど」
“So, you really think you’ve explained things, then?” “Well, yes, at least that’s what I thought I’ve done.”

58. こんなことしてお隣にご迷惑をかけなかったつもりなの？
Do you seriously think you wouldn’t cause our neighbors trouble by doing this?

59. もう勝ったつもりか？
Do you really think you’ve already won?

As for when X is in the negative past—～なかったつもりだ—the conviction is that the speaker/agent has not done X, but of course, an action was done, just not how the speaker believed to be the case.

60. そんなこと、言わなかったつもりだけど。
Well, I don’t believe I said any of the such.

Negation, of course, can occur on either side or both sides of ～つもり in the context of the past tense occurring before it—｛～た・なかった｝つもり｛ではない・でなかった｝. In these scenarios, the speaker is negating that there was intent/no intent of having done X, which is not the same as saying one did not do X at all. Here, the conviction dynamic is still at play, but it is also being negated. Just as above, whether the head clause of ～つもり is in the past tense or not is still determined by whether the statement is affirming or negating a past event.

61. あのシャツね、君にあげたつもりじゃなかったんだよ。
Well, you know, I’m not of the belief that I had given you that shirt.

Not only did the speaker not intend to give the listener the shirt in question, the speaker is asserting that the state of “having given the shirt” is not a reflection of what they believed to have occurred.

Conviction can also be expressed via ～ているつもりだ, in which case, the speaker may very well sound quite arrogant. Or, at the very least, the speaker is defending themselves against someone else’s evaluation and/or understanding of the situation.

62. 君の気持ちは分かっているつもりだ。
I believe I know how you feel well enough.

63. もちろん、自分でも努力しているつもりです。
Of course, I’m trying my best too.

64.「成績上がりませんね」「ええ、でも、志望の大学を目指して人一倍頑張っているつもりですけど」
“Your grades aren’t improving.” “Yes, I know, but I’m trying harder than most to get into the university of my choice.”

～つもりだった｛が・のに｝

Regardless of whether ～つもり indicates volition or conviction, it is fairly reasonable to assume that speakers would want to juxtapose the intent or conviction implied by ～つもり with a Y clause that contradicts it. Contrastive particles such as が, けれど, and のに help serve that role quite nicely. Intentions change and convictions can be proven wrong, after all.

65. 冗談のつもりで言ったのに、彼を怒らせてしまいました。
I meant it as a joke, but I accidentally made him angry.

66. 帰るつもりだったが、泊まることになっちゃった。
I intended to go home, but I ended up staying at a hotel.

67. 私は、最後で電気を消すつもりでしたが、彼が残業することになって、そのまま帰りました。
I had intended to turn off the lights at the end, but he had to work overtime, so I just went home.

～たつもりで

In the pattern ～たつもりで, the mindset of the agent may very as to whether X was the real intent, what the agent believed X to have been, or conjecture outright, but in any event, what actual happens is not X.

68. 切手を貼ったつもりで、手紙をポストに入れてしまった。
I accidentally put a letter into the postbox having thought I put a stamp on it (but I hadn’t).

69. 死んだつもりで生きていこうと決心した。
I became dead set on living onward.

～つもりで can also be used more broadly in the sense of “as if one intends to do…,” which captures the mindset of the agent while making it evident that X is not necessarily what the agent is actually doing in a literal sense.

70. そういうつもりでやっているわけじゃないけど。
That’s not what I’m doing it for, though.

71. 詩人として名を残すつもりでいた。
It’s been my aim to make a name for myself as a poet.

72. 革命を起こすつもりで開業したいと思います。
I want to open my business with the intention of starting a revolution.

～つもりがある

The degree as to which ～つもりがある is viable is rather limited. While we see its negative iteration prolifically, it is largely relegated to suppositional, conditional, or interrogative sentences. In either event, major emphasis is placed on the agent having the intent/mindset to carry out X.

73. 君は、本当に政治をやるつもりがあるのでしょうか。
Do you really intend on going into politics?

74. もし研究者になるつもりがあるのであれば、いずれ全部英語で聞いたり話したりする必要があるのでね。
If you intend on becoming a researcher, you’ll eventually need to talk and hear about everything in English.

75. つまり、その鳥の代わりに、自分は、音楽を書いているというようなつもりがあるんでしょうかね。
So, I guess you could say I write music in those birds’ place.

【参照】
『「つもり（だ）」をめぐって ―意志表現の指導の観点から―』by 高梨信乃
『日本語類義表現使い分け辞典』 by 泉原省二

As is seen in compounds more clearly such as 見積もる. ↩︎