Japanese つもり for Firm Intentions

In Brief

Put a verb in its plain dictionary or ない-form before つもりです to state a settled intention: 行くつもりです means “I intend to go,” while 行かないつもりです means “I intend not to go.” To reject an intention more emphatically, use 行くつもりはありません: “I have no intention of going.”

Overview

つもり presents an action as a decision or intention already held in someone’s mind. It often corresponds to English “intend to,” “plan to,” or “mean to,” but it usually sounds more settled than a passing thought. At B1, it gives you a useful middle ground between simply saying what you will do and describing a formal schedule.

Grammatically, つもり behaves like a noun (a word that names a person, thing, or idea). The verb before it therefore uses a plain form—the non-polite form used before many grammatical expressions—even when the sentence ends politely with です. This split is normal Japanese: politeness appears at the end of the sentence, not on every verb inside it.

You will hear つもり when people discuss study, work, travel, relationships, purchases, and other deliberate choices. Because it points to a person’s inner decision, it can also sound direct when used to question or describe someone else’s motives. The sections below show both the basic pattern and those important conversational nuances.

How It Works

The core patterns

Meaning	Pattern	Example	Translation
Positive intention	dictionary form + つもりです	日本で働くつもりです。	I intend to work in Japan.
Intention not to act	ない-form + つもりです	車は買わないつもりです。	I intend not to buy a car.
No intention of acting	dictionary form + つもりはありません	車を買うつもりはありません。	I have no intention of buying a car.
Casual statement	plain verb + つもりだ	今日は早く寝るつもりだ。	I intend to go to bed early today.
Past intention	plain verb + つもりでした／だった	電話するつもりでした。	I intended to call.
Question	plain verb + つもりですか	いつ帰るつもりですか。	When do you intend to return?

The dictionary form is the basic positive form listed in a dictionary, such as 行く, 食べる, or する. The ない-form is the plain negative form, such as 行かない, 食べない, or しない.

Notice that the verb directly before つもり is not polite:

• 勉強するつもりです — correct
• 勉強しますつもりです — incorrect

You can change the politeness or tense of the ending without changing this connection. つもりだ is plain, つもりです is polite, and つもりでした／つもりだった places the intention in the past.

Two ways to express a negative intention

Japanese offers two common negative patterns, and their focus differs slightly.

1. 行かないつもりです literally frames “not going” as the intended action. It means “I intend not to go” or, naturally, “I’m not planning to go.”
2. 行くつもりはありません negates the existence of the intention itself. It means “I have no intention of going” and can sound firmer or more emphatic.

The first pattern is often a neutral report of a decision. The second is useful when correcting an assumption, rejecting a suggestion, or making your refusal unmistakable. In casual speech, 行くつもりはない is the corresponding plain form.

Do not confuse these with 行くつもりではありません. That sentence can mean “It is not my intention to go,” often contrasting that interpretation with some other purpose. It is possible, but it is not the simplest everyday way to say that you do not plan to go.

Past intentions

つもりでした or つもりだった describes an intention held in the past:

• 昨日連絡するつもりでした。 — I intended to contact you yesterday.
• 大学では経済を勉強するつもりだった。 — I had intended to study economics at university.

A past intention does not automatically tell the listener whether the action happened. In practice, context often suggests that the plan changed or failed, especially with phrases such as でも (“but”) or のに (“although”):

• 早く寝るつもりだったのに、映画を最後まで見てしまった。 — I had intended to go to bed early, but I ended up watching the film to the end.

If completion matters, state it explicitly rather than assuming つもり communicates the outcome.

Asking about intentions

The basic question is 何をするつもりですか (“What do you intend to do?”). You can replace 何 with another question word:

• いつ出発するつもりですか。 — When do you intend to leave?
• どこに泊まるつもりですか。 — Where do you intend to stay?
• どうやって払うつもりですか。 — How do you intend to pay?

These are grammatically neutral, but tone and context matter. A direct どうするつもり？ can be an ordinary question between friends, yet it can also mean “What are you going to do about this?” in an angry or demanding tone. When politely asking about another person’s plans, ご予定はありますか or a softer question may be more tactful.

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
来年結婚するつもりです。	I intend to get married next year.	A settled personal decision
卒業後は日本で働くつもりです。	I intend to work in Japan after graduation.	Dictionary form + つもり
今週末は家でゆっくりするつもりです。	I plan to relax at home this weekend.	An ordinary personal plan
行かないつもりです。	I don’t intend to go.	ない-form + つもり
今年は新しいパソコンを買わないつもりです。	I’m not planning to buy a new computer this year.	The negative action is the decision
彼に言うつもりはありません。	I have no intention of telling him.	Firm rejection of an intention
あなたを責めるつもりはないよ。	I don’t mean to blame you.	Reassures the listener about the speaker’s aim
何をするつもりですか？	What do you intend to do?	Direct question about intention
何時に帰るつもり？	What time are you planning to come home?	Casual speech
夏休みに北海道へ行くつもりでしたが、予定を変えました。	I had intended to go to Hokkaido during summer vacation, but I changed my plans.	An abandoned past intention
電話するつもりだったのに、すっかり忘れていました。	I meant to call, but I completely forgot.	Intention not carried out
最初から冗談のつもりで言いました。	I said it as a joke from the beginning.	Noun + のつもり, describing the intended nature of an act

Common Mistakes

Using a polite verb before つもり

• Wrong: 来年日本へ行きますつもりです。
• Right: 来年日本へ行くつもりです。
• Why: A verb modifying the noun つもり must be in a plain form. The final です makes the whole sentence polite.

Negating the wrong part

• Awkward for the intended meaning: 行くつもりではありません。
• Right: 行かないつもりです。 / 行くつもりはありません。
• Why: Use ない-form + つもり for a decision not to act. Use dictionary form + つもりはない for “have no intention of.” つもりではない can instead reject a particular interpretation of your purpose.

Treating every future event as an intention

• Unnatural: 明日は雨が降るつもりです。
• Right: 明日は雨が降るそうです。 / 明日は雨が降るでしょう。
• Why: Rain has no intention. Basic つもり describes a deliberate choice by a person or another agent capable of forming an intention. Use a forecast expression for weather.

Assuming a past intention was completed

• Unclear: 昨日、レポートを書くつもりでした。
• Clear if you did it: 昨日、予定どおりレポートを書きました。
• Clear if you did not: 昨日レポートを書くつもりでしたが、書けませんでした。
• Why: つもりでした reports the plan, not the result. Add the outcome when it matters.

Stating another person’s inner intention too confidently

• Too certain without context: 田中さんは会社を辞めるつもりです。
• Better when reporting their words: 田中さんは会社を辞めるつもりだと言っています。
• Why: Intentions are internal. If Tanaka told you, mark it as reported speech (“says that…”). In a context where their intention is already established, the shorter sentence can still be natural.

Making a question sound like an accusation

• Potentially confrontational: いつまで待たせるつもりですか。
• Softer: いつごろになりそうですか。
• Why: A question with つもり can imply that the listener is deliberately causing the situation. Choose a softer forecast-style question when you only want information.

Usage Notes

つもり, ようと思う, and 予定

All three can relate to future plans, but they organize the message differently.

Expression	Main focus	Typical feel	Example
verb + つもりだ	A settled personal intention	Firm decision in the person’s mind	毎日練習するつもりです。
volitional form + と思う	A decision or thought about acting	Often less fixed or newly formed	毎日練習しようと思います。
verb + 予定だ	A schedule or arrangement	More objective; often involves dates or logistics	練習は九時に始まる予定です。

English “I’m planning to…” can translate to any of these, so do not choose mechanically. If you want to emphasize personal resolve, つもり is a strong choice. If you are expressing what you are thinking of doing, 〜ようと思う is often softer. If tickets, calendars, institutional arrangements, or a timetable are central, 予定 is usually more natural.

The boundary is not absolute. A personal trip can be both an intention and a scheduled plan: 京都へ行くつもりです highlights your decision, while 京都へ行く予定です presents it as arranged.

Politeness and firmness

Adding です makes the grammar polite, but it does not erase the firmness of the intention. 参加するつもりはありません is polite in form and still a strong refusal. In sensitive situations, give a reason or use a softer alternative if bluntness could cause friction.

In casual conversation, speakers commonly use つもり, つもりだ, or つもりだった without です. Sentence-final particles adjust the tone: 行くつもりだよ informs or reassures, while 行くつもり？ asks casually.

Who controls the action?

The basic construction works best when the person whose intention is being described can control the action. This is why 来年引っ越すつもりです is natural, while using it for an accidental event or a weather change is not. When circumstances rather than choice determine the future, expressions such as 予定, ことになっている, そうだ, or だろう may fit better, depending on the meaning.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Acting under an assumption: 〜たつもり and 〜ているつもり

Beyond future intention, つもり can describe what someone believes they did or the attitude with which they act. With a past verb, 〜たつもり may mean “believing that one has done…”:

• 説明したつもりでしたが、伝わっていませんでした。 — I thought I had explained it, but it had not come across.
• 送ったつもりだったのに、下書きに残っていました。 — I thought I had sent it, but it was still in drafts.

The point is a mismatch between the person’s belief and reality. Similarly, 〜ているつもり can present the speaker’s self-assessment:

• 毎日健康に気をつけているつもりです。 — I believe I take care of my health every day.

Depending on context, this can carry the implication “at least, I think I do.” These are extensions of the mental-picture sense of つもり, not straightforward future plans.

Doing something “as if” or in a chosen frame of mind

With noun + のつもりで, つもり can mean “with the idea of,” “as,” or “as if it were”:

• 旅行したつもりで、そのお金を貯金しました。 — I saved the money as though I had taken the trip.
• 本番のつもりで練習してください。 — Please practise as if it were the real performance.
• 冗談のつもりで言った。 — I said it as a joke.

Here, つもり identifies the intended interpretation or mental stance rather than a future action. 冗談のつもりだった is especially common when a joke was misunderstood; it explains the speaker’s intention but does not necessarily excuse the effect.

Correcting a mismatch between intention and effect

A useful advanced pattern is 〜つもりはなかった, “did not intend to…”:

• 傷つけるつもりはなかった。 — I did not intend to hurt you.
• 失礼なことを言うつもりはありませんでした。 — I did not mean to say anything rude.

This distinguishes purpose from result: the harm may have happened even though it was not intended. In an apology, acknowledging the result as well as your intention generally sounds more responsible than relying on this phrase alone.

Practice Tips

1. Build three versions of each plan. Take one verb, such as 留学する, and say 留学するつもりです, 留学しないつもりです, and 留学するつもりはありません. This trains both negative patterns and their different focus.
2. Sort real plans by certainty. Write five things you may do and choose among 〜ようと思う, 〜つもりだ, and 〜予定だ. Ask whether each item is a thought, a settled intention, or an arranged schedule.
3. Listen for outcome clues. When you hear つもりだった, notice what follows: が, のに, でも, or a sentence explaining what actually happened. This helps prevent the common mistake of treating intention as completion.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Plain/Dictionary Form — provides the plain verb forms required before つもり.